It's Not Just You and Me Anymore
by Fhockey42
Summary: A series of one shots that are a continuation of my previous story "Just You and Me" featuring Romanogers. Mostly fluff stories involving my favorite Avengers, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff. These shorts will not go in chronological order and will jump all over the place. I don't own any of the characters, I'm just an admirer!
1. Bully

"James stop!" Lucy Rogers screamed from the basement of her house. She and her twin brother, James, were playing a game in their playroom. As usual, their game of "good guy vs. bad guy" turned violent. James currently had his sister pinned down on the floor. "Get off of me James!" Lucy continued to scream.

"No way, you said that I wasn't stronger than you. How about now?" the boy teased.

"You're still not as strong as me James. I'm as strong as Mama," Lucy retorted.

"Yeah well I'm as strong as Daddy, and he's stronger than Mama," James said, sticking his tongue out at his sister.

"Don't let your mother hear you say that," an alien voice said from behind the wrestling ten-year olds. Both children turned their heads to look at their father. "And what did I tell you two about being violent?" Steve warned as he moved to pull his son off of his daughter.

"Sorry Daddy, but James started it. He was teasing me," Lucy said through puppy dog eyes as she stood up and met her father's gaze.

"Is this true James?" Steve said sternly, shifting his gaze to the blond-haired boy.

"Yes Daddy, it's true. I guess I started it, I'm sorry," James said, casting his gaze to the floor.

"James, go to your room, you and I need to have a talk. Lucy, your mother just came home with groceries, go help her put them away," Steve instructed.

"Yes Sir," James and Lucy said in unison as they went off, obeying their father.

* * *

James sat with his feet dangling over the edge of his bed. His attention was pulled to his bedroom door as it opened and his father appeared. Steve approached his son and took a seat next to him on the bed.

"Are you mad at me Daddy?" James asked innocently, avoiding his father's eyes.

"No James, I'm not mad at you," Steve started, placing an arm around his son's shoulders. "We just need to have a chat, man to man," Steve said softly as he met his son's gaze. The resemblance between James and Steve was striking, as many have pointed out. James had the same glacier-blue eyes as his father, with similar light blond hair. Steve was also surprised to find that James' hair didn't have any traces of Natasha's red in it.

"Okay," the boy replied, smiling slightly.

"James, I know that you would never intentionally hurt your sister, right?"

"No Daddy, I would never mean to hurt Lucy. Not really hurt her, just play."

"Good. Listen, I know that right now you and Lucy are just playing, but one day, you're going to be bigger than her. Not necessarily stronger than her—but you need to be careful."

"What do you mean," James questioned, his brow furrowing like his mother's.

"James, I want you to make me a promise. This is what I'm asking of you."

"Okay, what?"

"Promise me that you'll always protect your sister," Steve said seriously.

"I will Daddy, but why? Lucy doesn't need my help."

"James, please just promise me. You're Lucy's brother. You need to look out for her and be the man that I know you are. Stand up for her because trust me, your sister is just like your mother. She may look tough on the outside, but you'll never know how badly she's hurting on the inside. Do you understand now?" Steve said sincerely.

"Yes I understand Sir. And I promise, that I will always look out for Lucy. I will always protect her," James said honestly, looking into his father's eyes.

"Good," Steve replied, ruffling his son's hair. "Now go and help your mother with those groceries."

* * *

"But I don't want to go Mama," Lucy complained from the backseat of the SUV.

"I don't want to go either," James added. "You should listen to us Mama, we're actually agreeing on something."

"Sorry guys, you're going to school," Natasha Romanoff said from the driver's seat. This warranted two loud groans from the backseat. "Do you two know what? School is important. If you want to be successful, you're going to need a good education. Trust me. Lucy do you want to be a good spy one day? And James do you want to be a good soldier?"

"Yes Mama," the twins replied at the same time.

"Then you need to use your intelligence to be good. There's no getting out of it. Understand?"

"Yes," the two ten-year olds groaned at the same time.

"Mama, what did you learn in school when you lived in Russia?" Lucy innocently asked.

Natasha's eyes widened at her daughter's question as memories came flooding back into her head. Of course, she hasn't explained much of her past to her children. They weren't prepared for that. "I'll explain it to you another time sweetheart," Natasha said dismissively as she pulled up in front of the private elementary school that her children attended.

"Okay, I guess," Lucy said as she and James began to exit the car.

"Have a good day you two! I love you guys," Natasha said with a wave as she watched her children disappear into the building. "Be careful, please," she said to herself as she pulled away and off to the Triskelion.

* * *

"Hey gorgeous," Steve said as he entered the conference room where his wife was waiting. He strolled over to her and took her slender form in his arms.

"Hey there soldier," she said playfully, placing a tender kiss on his lips. "What's on our agenda today? "

"The usual file sorting. Fury doesn't have any missions currently—" Steve was abruptly cut off as Natasha's phone started ringing. She checked the caller ID to see that it was James and Lucy's school calling. She showed Steve the screen then walked to the corner of the room to take the call.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Mrs. Rogers? I'm calling on behalf of you children," the receptionist informed.

"Yes this is she. Is something wrong? Are James and Lucy okay?" Natasha asked, suddenly concerned.

"They're alright, it's just that they were involved in a fight with a few other students. Well, mainly your daughter was involved. I need you to come in to the school and discuss this with the principal."

"What? Okay, I'll be there with my husband as soon as I can," Natasha cut off the receptionist sharply. Before she could blink, Steve was at her side.

"What's the matter? Are the kids okay?" Steve questioned hurriedly, worry embedded in his voice.

"I don't know Steve. All she said was that James and Lucy—mainly Lucy—were involved in some sort of fight. We have to get down there right away. Come on, let's go tell Fury."

* * *

Steve and Natasha were directed to the nurse's office and all but ran there. Natasha was the first to burst through the doors.

"Mama!" Lucy said, jumping up from the bench she sat on and into her mother's arms.

"What happened дорогой," Natasha said empathetically, using her daughter's childhood nickname. "Are you alright? Where's James?" Natasha spat out all at once.

"James is still with the nurse, they won't let me in," Lucy began with a pout that was an exact replica of her mother's.

"Lucy, tell us what happened," Steve said softly as he sat down on the bench and pulled his daughter into his lap.

"Some boys at lunch were making fun of James because they didn't believe that Captain America is our dad. And these boys named Jack and Hunter wouldn't stop teasing him about it. So I went over to make them stop. But then Hunter started making fun of James even worse, saying that he needed his sister to defend him. The Jack pushed James to the ground, and James didn't even try to fight back! So then I sort of punched Jack in the face," she paused to take a breath. "And then I punched Hunter in the nose and they still wouldn't leave us alone, so I didn't stop hitting them. I didn't hurt them too badly."

"Okay Lucy we are going to talk about this more at home. But thank you for being honest," Steve said.

Natasha, upon observing her daughter, couldn't find any visible injuries, but was still concerned all the same. "Are you hurt sweetheart? It looks like you have blood on your shirt," the spy asked tenderly.

"I'm fine Mama, that's Jack's blood. I just hurt my knuckles, but besides that I'm fine," Lucy said, holding up the backs of her hands. True to her word, her knuckles were red and swollen. They would definitely turn into bruises by tomorrow. Just then, the door to the nurse's office swung open and James emerged.

"James!" Natasha exclaimed as she practically ran towards her son. He was silent, but met his mother's embrace, burying his head into her clothes and latching on.

"I patched him up for now," the nurse began, "but he split his chin open pretty good. That's going to need a couple of stiches so I would take him to get those after you're done here. Besides that, he just has some cuts and bruises. And you can go in to see the principal now, he's waiting. "

"Okay, thank you nurse," Steve said politely as he guided his family to the principal's office.

* * *

The family of four sat in chairs in front of Principal Richmond's desk as they awaited his arrival. James was silent, and still practically clinging to Natasha. Lucy sat next to Steve as he triple checked that she didn't need any medical attention. Everyone's attention was drawn towards the door as it opened. In walked Principal Richmond, two boys who had to be Jack and Hunter, and four more parents. The principal took a seat behind his desk to address his audience.

"I understand that the Rogers children here have had an incident with Jack and Hunter," he began. "Hunter, will you please explain to me what happened?"

"Yeah, sure. Jack and I went to ask James to play with us during recess. But then he started making fun of us and calling us names. He was saying that he could beat anyone up. Then he called his sister over and they started attacking us!" the ten year old explained. "Lucy broke my nose in one punch, and then took out Jack's knees after she punched him in the face," Natasha applauded her daughter internally.

"That's not true! I did break his nose and everything, but the reason he gave is a lie." Lucy exclaimed passionately.

"Okay Miss. Rogers, calm down please. Now tell me your side of the story.

Lucy retold the story that she had told her parents minutes before—almost word for word.

"I have come to a decision," Principal Richmond began. "Since none of these children here have a history of bad behavior, I'm going to let this little scuffle slide. But if anything like this ever happens again, there will be big consequences. Am I making myself clear?" The children all (begrudgingly) apologized to each other and were sent home for the weekend.

* * *

The family arrived home after a quick trip to the hospital so James could get his chin stitched up.

"Lucy, please go and wait in your room. Your mother and I need to discuss a few things and decide on your punishment.

Lucy knew better than to argue with her father, so she mumbled a quick "Yes Sir," before stalking off to her room. James hadn't said a word to his parents the entire time, and wasn't looking forward to the proximate conversation.

"James, why didn't you fight back?" both Natasha and James were taken aback by Steve's first question.

"Because I didn't want to be the bad guy. I just want to get along with everyone. But I didn't want to back down and walk away either. That's not what you guys would do," the blond replied solemnly.

"James, I understand where you're coming from. But sometimes, you have to sick up for yourself," Steve replied, feeling bad for his son.

"Is that why you're mad at Lucy?" Natasha cut in.

"How do you know that I'm mad at her," James asked in a surprised tone.

"Honey, I'm a spy. I can read you like an open book. Now tell me please, why are you mad at Lucy?"

"Because I'm supposed to protect her! She's my little sister, if only by six minutes. She shouldn't be the one that needs to defend me; I'm the one that's supposed to stick up for her. I made Daddy a promise that I would!" James said fervently as tears began to fall from his eyes.

"James, you have to realize that you were protecting Lucy. You made it so that she didn't get in trouble. She's not hurt and you did your job. And remember that your sister is exactly like your mother. She's tough, and she can take care of herself if she needs to," Steve replied, stroking his son's hair. "Now I want you to go get your sister and go play okay? We're not going to punish you this time, but I don't want any more phone calls home from school, understand?"

"Yes Daddy, I understand. Thank you for understanding and believing us. Lucy and I are telling the truth," James said pointedly, wiping his wet cheeks.

"I know, and we believe you. Now go play with your sister..._gently_," the spy added.

Natasha spoke to her husband when James was out of earshot. "Well, I'm glad that they have an uncontrollable urge for honesty like you," she said, wrapping her arms around Steve's waist.

"Me too," he replied, planting a kiss on her head. "But how about Lucy, breaking that kid's nose in one shot! We'll have to give her credit for that one, it's pretty impressive," Steve said with a boyish smile.

"Oh Rogers," Natasha sighed, leaning her head against her husband's chest. "What are we going to do with the two of them?"


	2. Date Night

"Come on Nat, I'll take great care of them. Don't you trust me?" A certain billionaire questioned sarcastically.

"That's the problem Stark. I don't trust you with this," Natasha Romanoff said truthfully. "But don't take it personally, I don't really trust anyone with my children. Not yet anyway."

"You haven't left their side in three months," Clint added. "Go out and enjoy yourselves for a few hours. We can handle everything here."

"Guys we're serious here. We're trusting you tonight," Steve said seriously. "Please take care of James and Lucy. And no monkey business or experiments okay?"

"I promise Cap, no funny business. And Pepper is on her way over to help out so don't worry," Tony said.

"That makes me feel a little better," Natasha added. "But will we need to pay her extra for babysitting four children?" she said playfully.

"Ha. Ha ha ha. That's funny Tash," Clint added. "But seriously, we have everything under control, go out and have a nice dinner. And you better not try to call us every fifteen minutes."

"Okay fine, we're going," Natasha said. "But let me say goodbye first." She walked over to the two cribs in the nursery. Once James and Lucy were born, Tony had built a huge nursery in the tower for when they stayed over. Tonight was one of those nights. Steve was taking Natasha out in the city for their wedding anniversary, and that left Clint and Tony in the tower to watch over the twins. Natasha looked down into the sleeping faces of her children. She leaned down to each crib, lightly placing a kiss on each of her children's foreheads. "Goodbye guys. Be good for Uncle Tony and Uncle Clint okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's enough Red," Tony stated, pushing Natasha and Steve toward the elevator. "Now get out of here and have a good time will you?"

"Alright Stark, we're going," Steve chuckled as the elevator doors opened and he and Natasha stepped inside. "But if anything happens to them, I'll have your ass."

"Yup, I've got it Cap. Now go! And you better not be home until after 11:00," Tony yelled after the couple as the elevator descended.

* * *

"Okay," Clint stated, clasping his hands together. "What do we do now?"

"Well, Pepper's flight back to New York was delayed so she won't be here tonight. That leaves just you, me, and the kiddos pal," Tony replied.

Clint looked back at his friend as a devious smile spread across his face. "We could do some target practice downstairs."

"No way, Natasha will have our heads if we leave the kids on the floor alone. I guess we should just chill out here tonight. They're asleep already, so they should be good for the rest of the night, right?"  
"Yeah, I think so," the archer responded. "And why don't we watch a movie? My vote is for _The Shining_."

"Alright, sounds like a plan. I'll get the popcorn."

* * *

"I think I should call," Natasha said almost pleadingly to her husband.

"No Natasha, we already agreed on this. No phone calls, I'm sure they're fine. Let's just enjoy us tonight, alright?" Steve and Natasha had just been seated at a restaurant in the city that Steve had picked. It was very elegant, and perfect for the occasion.

"You're right," she said with a small smile as she reached across the table to take Steve's large hands in her own. "I'm overreacting. I know that when it comes down to it, Clint and Tony will be fine watching James and Lucy. Besides," she continued playfully, "JARVIS can always give them instructions."

Steve laughed, moving his thumb back and fourth across the back of his wife's hand. "Okay, that's enough for now. Tonight is for us, so let's enjoy it."

"Alright soldier, you win. What's good here?"

* * *

Clint and Tony sat alone in the living room, watching _The Shining_ on DVD. Sometime around 8:00, it started pouring. The rain sounded like a thousand bullets hitting the tower each second.

"Sir," the Voice of JARVIS interrupted. "Young Mr. Rogers is now awake. You asked me to inform you if either child awoke."

"Yes JARVIS thank you," Tony replied to the A.I., pausing the movie. "Come on bird boy, let's go see what's up."

"I thought you said that they weren't supposed to wake up?" the archer replied, confusion lingering in his voice.

"Yeah, well I guess I misjudged the situation."

"You were wrong," Clint replied, a toothy smile spreading across his face.

"No, I wasn't entirely wrong. Lucy is still sleeping," the billionaire said entering the nursery and motioning to the sleeping figure. "And James isn't crying—yet. I don't know what's wrong with him. Okay, come here squirt," Tony said quietly as he lifted James into his arms. He motioned to the door with a nod of his head and left the room, Clint following close behind.

Tony was the first to speak once the three of them were back in the living room. "Clint, smell the kid."

"What? Why do I have to smell him! You're perfectly capable Stark."  
"Come on, suck it up and do it."

"Fine," Tony held James out to Clint as the archer sniffed his butt and coughed. "Yep, he definitely needs to be changed. I suppose you expect me to do that too?"

"Yes I do," Tony replied, handing off James to Clint. "See you in ten minutes!" Tony said before disappearing down the hall.

"Okay buddy, let's get you cleaned up."

* * *

"There ya go, now isn't that better?" Clint held up three-month old James to admire his work. He couldn't get the diaper to stay on, so he found some making tape to use instead.

"What the hell did you do?" Tony questioned, reentering the room with a new outfit for James.

"I couldn't get this stupid thing to stay closed so I found some tape," Clint answered proudly as James babbled happily to himself.

"Well, whatever floats your boat. Anyway, I got James a new outfit to wear," Tony walked over to Clint and James, holding up an Iron Man onesie. It was red, gold, and complete with an arc reactor decal. "And before you flip out, I had a Hawkeye outfit made for Lucy. It looks like yours, but it's pink."

"Normally I would oppose, but we can have some fun with this," Clint said mischievously.

"Now you see my point! Come on, let's go wake Lucy up and change her into that Hawkeye outfit."

* * *

"Well, the building's still in one piece," Steve said as he led his wife into the elevator in Stark Tower.

"Yeah, I don't hear any explosions or smell any smoke. But let's get up there and see for ourselves. Hopefully our children are asleep and unharmed."  
"I'm sure they're fine Nat. But did you have a good time tonight?" Steve questioned innocently, pulling his wife into his arms.

"I had an amazing night Steve. Thank you," she smiled as she brought her soft lips up to meet his tender ones. The elevator came to a stop and Steve released Natasha as the elevator doors slid open. The two walked out anxiously to meet Tony, Clint, James, and Lucy—all wide-awake at 11:30 p.m. Tony and Clint were both sitting on the ground. Tony had Lucy—dressed in some ridiculous Hawkeye outfit, and Clint had James in an Iron Man outfit. Both men were propping the kids up in a standing position, making sound effects as they used the twins like dolls in a pretend battle. Lucy and James were babbling and laughing as Clint and Tony continued to play.

"What are you two doing?" Natasha questioned. "My children are not dolls!"

"Welcome home Tash! They're fine, look at them! Lucy's actually not crying for once, and they're both having a good time," Clint said quickly.

"Chill out Red, they were good for us. And you should be thanking us, we're tiring them out for you," Tony added.

"Okay guys, we're not mad at you. We might just have to return these outfits," Steve said with a smile. He approached the two men, and Lucy stretched her arms out towards her father as she spotted him. "Hey princess, come here," Steve said lovingly as he bent down and took his daughter into his arms. He planted a soft kiss on her head, noting that she got the same exact hair color as her mother.

At the same moment, James started to cry in Clint's arms as he got up to hand him back to his mother. "There's my little man!" Natasha said excitedly as she took James into her arms and looked into his sleepy eyes. "I think a certain set of twins are tired out, huh?" She said lovingly, bouncing James back and fourth in her arms as his eyelids began to droop.

"Look at you two," Clint said through a smile. "You turn all soft around your kids."

Natasha then proceeded to flip Clint off as she and Steve went to the nursery to put their kids to bed.

* * *

"See Natasha? They're perfectly fine," Steve whispered to his wife once the twins were fast asleep. "Maybe we should go out more often."

"Nice try Rogers, that's not going to happen," she said, leaning in to kiss him softly before exiting the nursery.

* * *

**A/N: **Eh, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. Please leave me reviews and feedback! I'll be happy to fulfill any requests!


	3. Just Say the Word

"Come on honey. Say it!" Natasha Romanoff encouraged her seven-month-old daughter. "You too James, come on I know you can do it!"

"No way Nat, it's not gonna happen," Steve Rogers retorted playfully. The family of four was seated on the living room floor of their suburban D.C. home. Steve supported Lucy in his lap while Natasha balanced James.

"Shush Rogers, I have full confidence in them. Sorry to let you know, but I am winning this bet. Hands down."

"No way, you don't stand a chance." The soldier and the spy had been playing this game for about two weeks now. The couple had made bets on which word their children would say first, "mama" or "daddy". Obviously, Natasha was betting on one of the twins saying her name first, and Steve was betting on one of them saying his title first. "Alright. If you're so confident, why don't we make this a little more interesting?"  
"Okay, deal. What did you have in mind?"

A small smirk graced Steve's features as he carefully planned his next move. "If James or Lucy says daddy before mama, then you have to let Clint dress them up in those Hawkeye outfits he and Stark had made. _And_ you have to take both of them to the Triskelion to show them off."

Natasha moaned internally. She absolutely abhorred those ridiculous outfits—and Steve knew it. "Okay," she stated begrudgingly. "But when Lucy or James says mama first, _you _have to spend the day with Coulson and James."  
"Is that all ma'am?"

"You wish Rogers. You also have to dress James up in that Captain America outfit and let Coulson have your shield for the day." Natasha hated to subject her son to this, but she was willing to make the sacrifice for the greater good. This was just too good of an opportunity to pass up on.

"Deal. You're on Romanoff," Steve said, extending his hand to his wife. She shook it firmly.

"Steve?"

"Hmph?" the soldier replied, preoccupied with staring at his son.

"I think that maybe we need to seal this deal with a kiss," the spy suggested softly, arching an eyebrow. She scooted over to where her husband was sitting until their faces were mere millimeters apart.

"I am inclined to refuse," Steve started, meeting his wife's disappointed eyes. "But I can never say no to your beautiful face," he whispered and leaned into meet his wife's lips. At first, the kiss was light, their lips just brushing. But after a moment's hesitation, it deepened, evolving into a display of pure love. The couple was snapped out of their moment with James' irritated cry.

"I guess somebody is hungry," Steve said, his nose gently touching Natasha's.

"You guys never rest a moment, do you?" Natasha stated with a small laugh as Steve pulled both children into his lap.

"Come on kiddos," he started, supporting both children in his arms and standing up. "Let's go see what Mama can make us for dinner

* * *

"Do you really have to go _again_?" Natasha pleaded. "This is the third mission this month!"

"I know Nat," Steve replied, placing his large hands on her slender shoulders. "I hate leaving you with the twins alone. Especially since Fury is still giving you limited missions, and me more."

"I love our children, but I hate that you get all the missions Steve"

"I understand Natasha, but I can't change anything," he said gently, pushing a stray strand of red hair behind her ear. "Look, I'll only be gone for two days. Why don't you go up to New York with the kids? I can meet you there when I get back, and this way we will be able to spend some time with the others. And I'm sure they would be more than willing to help you with James and Lucy. Especially Pepper."

"Okay, that sounds like a plan. But I just don't want you to miss anything important. Like one of them saying mama," the spy replied with a sly smile.

"Don't you wish," Steve chuckled, drawing Natasha closer to him and planting a tender kiss on her forehead. "I have to go pack. Unfortunately."

"Well, you still have a few hours until you have to leave. And the kids are sleeping soundly..." Natasha said seductively, biting her bottom lip.

"Come on you, let's go," Steve said through a smile, putting his arm around Natasha's shoulders and leading her towards their bedroom.

* * *

"Does one of you want to help me over here?" Natasha said humorously as the elevator doors opened in the Avengers Tower. The petite redhead stood there carrying two infant car seats—one in each hand.

"What are you doing here?" Pepper questioned happily. She and Maria had been watching TV on the common floor when they spotted Natasha with the twins. "I didn't know you were coming!"

"Surprise!" Natasha exclaimed as she handed off one of the carriers to Pepper. "Tony knows that I was coming, I checked with him first. James, Lucy and I are staying for the weekend and Steve is joining us after his mission."

"Yay! We're going to have _so_ much fun!" Pepper squealed. Both she and Natasha placed the car seats on the counter.

"Shh Pepper keep it down," Maria cut in. "Look, they're sleeping." Maria swiftly got up from the couch and walked over to give Natasha a hug.

"Yes, we had a much more pleasant drive this time," Natasha recalled, slowly rocking the car seats. "And I assume that you've heard all about the bet that Steve and I have going?"

"Oh yes, Tony and Clint won't shut up about it. They both have money on Steve. But don't worry, Maria and I have your back," Pepper said with a toothy smile.

"Good, you better," Natasha said, reciprocating her friend's smile. The three women had their attention diverted when Lucy started to fuss and kick.

"Come here sweetheart, I've missed you so much!" Pepper said to the infant she lifted Lucy into her arms. Lucy gurgled happily as Pepper talked sweetly to her. "Your Mama and Daddy need to come visit more. Look how big you've gotten, you're growing up too fast!" Pepper continued to talk.

"She's missed them a lot the past three weeks if you couldn't tell," Maria said to Natasha before she noticed two light blue eyes staring at her from the counter. "And look who else is up! Is it okay if I hold him?" Maria questioned innocently.

"Of course. You don't even have to ask Maria, you're family," Natasha said whole-heartedly. The agent moved to unbuckle James and then pulled him up to her chest. "Hi sleepy-head. How are you?" Maria said soothingly as James looked up into her eyes and smiled.

Natasha laughed and moved to smooth her son's thin hair. "I think someone has a little crush on you. Look at him he's flirting!"

"You're such a little flirt!" Maria said happily, bouncing the baby in his arms. "Oh my gosh Natasha, he's the spitting image of Steve. Yes you are James, with those pretty blue eyes and blond hair."

"I know, I can't wait to see how he matures," Natasha said. "But for now, I think that someone needs to be changed," the redhead continued, scrunching her nose.

"Yep, it's her. Here I'll come help you," Pepper said, carrying Lucy to the elevator.

* * *

"I just can't get over it Red," Tony Stark stated matter-of-factly. "The kid looks just like you. Except her eyes aren't as green. And the boy looks just like Spangles."

Pepper gave Tony a stern look before addressing him. "Oh Tony, knock it off." The couple was sitting on the couch; Tony had Lucy in his lap, and Pepper had James. Natasha was sitting in an armchair, taking in the scene.

"I know, James looks just like his Daddy. I'm surprised Coulson isn't all over him yet," Natasha said before laughing.

"Daddy!" Lucy exclaimed happily as all eyes turned to her.

"Did she just?" Tony asked quickly as Natasha's eyes widened.

"Oh my God, девочка, that was your first word!" Natasha exclaimed in disbelief as she moved to take her daughter from Tony.

"Yeah, and it was _daddy_," Tony remarked giddily. "That means Steve wins the bet!" The billionaire said, clasping his hands together.

"Oh my gosh, _Steve_. He missed it, he missed his daughter's first word," Natasha said solemnly to no one in particular.

"I've got to call Steve, he should be here within the next hour."

"What are you talking about?" Pepper said with a wink. "We didn't hear a word."

"Okay, that's so not fair Pepper. The kid said daddy! Steve wins."

"Tony, you are not going to say a word about this," Pepper said with a glare. "Steve will be extremely upset if he finds out he missed Lucy's first word. I will make it up to you later if you just listen to me," Pepper continues, arching her eyebrows.

"Okay, okay, fine I won't tell him."

"Thanks Tony," Natasha said, feeling relieved.

* * *

"What are you guys doing up?" Steve said with a smile as he stepped out of the elevator to greet his wife and children. It was only 8:30 p.m., so Steve was obviously referring to his kids. He propped his shield up against the wall and dropped his duffle bag next to it. Natasha stood up, a kid in each arm, and walked over to greet her husband.

"Hey kiddos," Steve smiled as he took both kids from his wife. "And hello you," he said, leaning in to kiss his wife on the lips. "What did I miss?"

"Oh, nothing much. Stinky diapers. Midnight feedings, the usual."

"What do you guys think? Did Mama take good care of you while I was gone?"

"Mama!" Lucy screamed happily.

James soon followed his sister, saying "Mama" and reciprocated her tone.

Both Natasha and Steve were momentarily stunned. "Nat," Steve began, smiling widely. "They both just said their first word!"

"They did, didn't they," Natasha said as she took Lucy into her arms. She seemed wide-awake, while James was yawning in Steve's arms. "_And_ it was mama," Natasha continued proudly, feeling no guilt.

"Alright," Steve said, still smiling. "You win Natasha, you were right. But I don't care about that, I'm just glad that I came back in time to witness this milestone for both of them."  
"Me too Steve. Me too."

"Alright guys, why don't we get you to bed? I need some alone time with your Mama; I missed her so much," he said smiling up at Natasha.

"Sounds good Steve. Just be prepared to dress James in that Captain America outfit tomorrow."

* * *

**A/N:** To be continued! I will write one more chapter to continue and conclude this one shot. I apologize for the lack of an update, my summer has been hectic. Thank you to everyone who reads/reviews this story. Please feel free to leave me reviews or feedback, I love to read it. I hope everyone enjoys this update!


	4. Just Say the Word (Part 2)

"I'm so sorry James," Natasha said through a stifled laugh as Steve entered the living room on the common floor, James in tow. The baby turned his attention to his mother at the sound of his name and smiled.

"See look, he likes it," Steve said sheepishly. "Right little man? It's not so bad. You look just like Daddy, ready to fight off all the bad guys."

"Oh yeah Steve, he looks real menacing. You know, with his two teeth and everything." James was dressed in a Captain America outfit (courtesy of Coulson), complete with a mask and toy shield. Natasha would never admit it out loud, but James looked kind of adorable in the get-up. His light blue eyes shone through the holes of the mask, and his blond hair curled out from underneath it.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Are you happy now?"

"Almost," Natasha said as she pulled her phone from her back pocket. "Now smile Steve," the redhead quickly snapped a quick picture. "Oh, I've got to show this to everyone. I'm sure Tony and Clint will be happy to frame it for you."

"Okay, enough messing around. Are you ready to go yet?"

"Yes, let me get Lucy and then we can go. And don't forget your shield," Natasha concluded with a snicker as she disappeared down the hall to retrieve her daughter.

"Oh boy James, you have no idea what you're in for today, do you?" Steve said softly as James cooed happily at the sound of his father's voice.

* * *

Much to Steve and Natasha's relief, James and Lucy slept soundly during the drive to Coulson's New York home. Natasha exited the car and proceeded to remove James from his car seat. The child whined slightly at being woken up from his nap. "I know sweetie, I'm sorry to wake you," Natasha said sweetly, rocking her son back and fourth. Sleepy blue eyes looked back up at her as James flashed a smile, showing off his two (and only) bottom teeth. "You are always so happy James! And I know you get that from your Daddy."

"Daddy!" James said aimlessly as Steve walked up to his wife and son.

"Hi buddy," Steve said with a smile, taking his son from his wife. "Alright Nat, I've got him today. You go and have fun with Lucy, but please don't forget to pick me up. I don't intend on spending the night with Coulson."

"Okay, will do," she said through a smirk before leaning in to kiss Steve goodbye. "Bye, have fun!" Natasha concluded sarcastically with a wave.

"Say bye-bye James," Steve took his son's small arm and helped him wave back. This gained a smile from James. Steve turned around and slowly made his way to the door of the house. "Alright buddy, are you ready?"

* * *

"Hey, would ya look at that? She's not crying for once," Tony Stark commented as he walked over to where Natasha was sitting on the floor with Lucy, helping her to stand. Pepper was on the couch, smiling happily at the scene.

"That's because she only cries around you Tony," Natasha replied promptly. Tony took on a face of pretend hurt that quickly faded as he sat down on the couch beside Pepper. "And besides, she has no reason to cry right now. She has Mama all to herself today, isn't that right?" Lucy reached her hand out to Natasha's face and grabbed at her nose playfully. She smiled in delight as her mother feigned a yell.

"Is she crawling yet?" Pepper asked curiously.

"Yeah, she's kind of crawling a little, and so is James. It's more like them trying to scoot around, although Steve and I already baby-proofed our house."

"Oh Tony, we need to do that here," Pepper insisted, turning her attention to Tony.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get to it soon don't worry. JARVIS, remind me to baby-proof."

"Of course sir, I will remind you," The A.I. replied obediently. All eyes turned to Natasha as Lucy started to fuss. Tears on the brims of her blue-green eyes were threatening to spill over.

"See, there she goes!" Tony pointed out with an accusing finger.

"What's the matter sweetheart?" Natasha said solemnly, ignoring Tony's comment as she looked at the pained expression on her daughters face. She pulled Lucy into her lap and began to rub her back in a circular motion. "Oh I know what's bothering you. Do your teeth hurt, huh?" Unlike James, Lucy hadn't gotten any teeth yet. She was teething, and white buds of teeth were just becoming visible. "Mama didn't bring any teething rings for you, I'm sorry девочка," Natasha said sympathetically, offering her finger out to her daughter. Lucy took up the offer and began chewing happily on her mother's finger.

"You willingly let her chew on you?" Tony asked, surprised.

"No, not normally. But I forgot her teething stuff at home so this will have to do for now. For a few minutes anyway."

"Aww you're going soft Natalie," Tony said mockingly.

Natasha shot him a glare as sharp as knives. "First of all, do not call me Natalie, that's not my name. And secondly, I am _not_ going soft. I will prove it, if you want to volunteer."

"No thanks, I'm okay." Tony replied quickly. By now, Lucy had stopped crying. She was chewing happily on her mother's finger, drooling all over herself in the process.

"Come on Luce, let's go get cleaned up. Then we'll be all ready for our girls day with Aunt Pepper," Natasha said as she stood, bringing her daughter up with her. The baby cooed happily and squirmed in her mother's arms. "You just can't sit still, can you?" Lucy turned her head around several times, taking in her surroundings. She smiled happily when she caught Pepper waving to her.

"Hi Lucy!" Pepper exclaimed happily, moving her hand back and fourth.

"What do you say Lucy, can you wave?" Natasha encouraged her daughter, who in turn gave her mother a blank stare. "How about kisses? Can you blow Aunt Pepper a kiss?" Lucy had learned this gesture a few days ago, and Natasha wanted to see if she remembered it. On cue, Lucy brought her palm to her tiny lips, then extended her arm toward Pepper. "Yay! Great job baby!" Natasha exclaimed happily as Pepper clapped her hands together. "Okay let's go get this drool off your pretty face."

* * *

Later that day, Natasha honked the horn of the SUV then moved over to the passenger seat of the car. Several minutes later, Steve appeared carrying James. He quickly strapped James into his car seat before taking the driver's seat. "So? How'd it go?" Natasha asked sweetly a second later.

"Wait. Where's Lucy?" Steve replied, only slightly concerned after his long day.

"Don't worry, she's back at the tower with Tony, Clint, and Pepper. But tell me, how was your day with Coulson?"

"It was...interesting. After taking several hundred pictures of James in his outfit, he carried my shield around all day, pretending that there was a bad guy every three feet. It was exhausting, and like looking after two kids by myself."

"I'm sorry Steve," Natasha said through a laugh as her husband drove down the street back to the tower.

"Well, at least James is all tired out. Hopefully he will sleep through the night," Steve said, not wanting to go into detail about the day's events.

"Yes, that would be nice. But it's only 7:00, so maybe we could hang out with the others once the twins are asleep?" Steve just looked over at her and smiled. He was actually looking forward to a quiet night with some of the team. He let his right hand off the steering wheel and found Natasha's hand. Their fingers laced together as they rode the rest of the way to the Tower in silence, their son sleeping in the back.

* * *

Clint, Tony, and Pepper turned their attention behind the couch as Steve and Natasha made their way down the hallway, hand in hand. "Well, you two look exhausted," Clint, said with a small smile playing on his face.

"We are," Steve answered for his wife. "James was all tired out already, but we had a hard time getting Lucy to settle down in her crib." Steve sat down in a plush recliner then pulled Natasha into his lap. He planted a kiss on top of her head affectionately as she let her head fall onto his chest.

"Anyway," Tony interrupted the moment. "Steve, while you were away on you mission, you're kids were being adorable."

"Aren't they always?" the soldier replied proudly.

"Mmhmm," Natasha mumbled in agreement as her eyes closed. "Except when Lucy cries. James doesn't really get upset, but his sister is the opposite."

"Back to my point," Tony cut in, "I had JARVIS video a lot of things so we could watch them. So, that's what we're going to do tonight," the billionaire said proudly as the TV screen changed and JARVIS began to play the footage.

Tony, Pepper, Natasha, James, and Lucy were seen in the living room on the common floor. The footage continued to play, showing the events of that day. Natasha looked up to see a wide, crooked smile grace Steve's features as he watched his family. His smile quickly faded as the footage depicted Lucy saying "Daddy".

"Hey, wait a minute..." Clint trailed off as Steve looked down at Natasha, a hurt expression on his face. Steve began to get up, leaving Natasha behind in the recliner.

"Steve wait. Please let me explain," Natasha pleaded as Steve walked down the hall to the bedroom where the couple was staying. The redhead immediately got up to follow her husband. She caught up to him just as he passed by the twins' room. "Steve please."

He turned around to face his wife. He didn't usually pick up on their height difference, but in this moment it was extremely noticeable. "Nat, why?" He wasn't exactly mad at his wife, but he didn't understand her actions.

"Look Steve, I know how much you hate to be away from the twins, especially since they're about to hit a bunch of milestones. I didn't tell you about Lucy saying daddy because I didn't want you to miss her first word. I don't care about the stupid bet, or if you won. I just didn't want you to miss out on anything."

Steve lightly smiled before pulling his wife into him for a hug. Several moments later, he broke the silence. "Nat?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. I know that you had good intentions," he flashed a genuine smile before kissing her on the lips. "But you're going to pay for this. You lost the bet."

"Okay Rogers, whatever you say," Natasha said a little too loudly, and immediately regretted it. Lucy's high-pitched cries were promptly heard from the room next to the couple.

"You can start by getting her to stop crying," Steve said with a laugh. "And good luck with that feat."

* * *

**A/N: **Ehh, I'm not sure how I feel about this update, which is a continuation (and the final installment) of the previous chapter. I apologize for the lack of an update, I've been crazy busy! Thank you to everyone who continues to read/support my writing, it means the world to me! Again, I'm open to any suggestions or ideas so please don't hesitate to leave me a review! I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter :)


	5. Mama Time

**A/N:** Sorry if anyone seems OOC in this chapter, especially Natasha! Enjoy :)

* * *

"Mama!" James Rogers exclaimed as he and his twin sister, Lucy, nearly tackled their mother as she walked through the door.

"Well I can tell that a certain set of twins missed me," Natasha said as she dropped on her knees to hug her children.

"We're your _only _twins Mama!" Lucy said.

"You're right Lucy. Can you please go get Daddy and tell him I'm home?" The five-year old nodded and ran off excitedly to find her father. Natasha had been away on a weeklong intel-mission with Clint—and to be honest, she was exhausted.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of her son's voice. "I missed you _so_ much Mama," he started as Natasha took his small hand in her own.

"I missed you too sweetheart," she replied, gently ruffling his blond hair. "But didn't you have fun with Daddy?

"Yeah, I guess so. But he was with Lucy a lot, and we always had to watch her princess movies. _And_ she made Daddy have a tea party with her."

"Is that right James?" The small boy nodded as he pursed his lips—a gesture he must have inherited from her. "Well then, it sounds like you could use some alone time with Mama. How about you and I go to the park tomorrow, just the two of us?"

"Can we Mama, please?"

"Of course, мальчик, it's a date," Natasha promised with a smile. It was often difficult to please both James and Lucy at the same time, so sometimes, (especially when either Natasha or Steve was on a mission) it was hard to give each child the same amount of attention. _And_ the fact that Lucy has Steve wrapped around her finger doesn't really help James. Natasha looked up to find Lucy pulling Steve to the door by his hand.

"Hey you," Steve said with a crooked smile as he approached his wife, who was now standing.

"Hey yourself," the redhead replied, mirroring her husband's expression. Steve hugged Natasha tightly before sliding his hands down to her hips. Steve leaned in and tenderly placed his lips upon hers.

"Eww! That's gross Mama," Lucy's remark interrupted the couple as the pulled away from each other, laughing.

"Say ew all you want now you two, but someday Lucy you will want to kiss a boy, and James will only have time to spend with his girlfriend," Steve cautioned his two five-year olds with a smile.

"No way Daddy, the only girl I will hug is Mama," James replied innocently.

"Hey, what about me James?" Lucy questioned with her arms crossed and her brow furrowed. Her expression reminded Natasha of the one that Steve wore when he was either confused or deep in thought.

"I don't want to catch cooties!" James toyed mockingly as he ran away, Lucy hot on his heels.

"What on Earth are we going to do with them Nat?" Steve pondered before pulling Natasha back into him for another kiss.

"I think the real question is what are we having for dinner? I'm starving and something smells amazing."

"Come on you, it's a surprise," Steve replied as he lead Natasha off towards the kitchen, his arm draped around her shoulders.

* * *

Natasha groaned aloud the second she heard two sets of footsteps running down the hallway. She pulled her pillow over her head in an attempt to tune out the noise, but she knew that it wouldn't make a difference in a few seconds. "And three...two...one," Steve counted down next to her, almost fully awake already. At the count of one, the bedroom door was pushed completely open as James and Lucy appeared.

"Mama, Daddy! Wake up!" Lucy squealed excitedly as she jumped onto her parents' bed with James. Both Steve and Natasha pretended to be asleep, much to their children's annoyance. "Come on Daddy, wake up!" Lucy continued with a smile as she and James climbed on top of Steve, attempting to shake him awake. Suddenly, Steve shot up into a sitting position, wrapping one arm around each of his children and holding them tight in his grip. Both kids screamed in surprise.

"Daddy stop! Let us go!" James squealed, laughing.

"No way, I've got you two now!" Steve exclaimed, trying to tickle both his children at one time. Both of them erupted into laughter, squealing in Steve's arms. Moments later, the twins calmed down, gasping for breath as Steve maintained his grip.

"We're hungry Daddy," Lucy stated for herself and her brother.

"You are? Well, why don't we let Mama sleep for a few more minutes and we'll see what we can do about breakfast."

Natasha flashed Steve a grateful smile as her eyelids began to close again. Steve stood up, a child in each arm, and began making his way to the kitchen. "Come on you two, how do pancakes sound?"

* * *

"Hi Mama," Lucy said with a full mouth of chocolate chip pancakes as Natasha entered the kitchen.

"Hi baby. I see that Daddy made breakfast for everyone."

"Mmhmm, it's really good," James chimed in. Natasha took a seat at the table next to Steve and began helping herself to the pancakes. "Are we still going to the park today Mama?" James asked innocently.

"Yes, just like I promised."

"Can I come too Mama? Please" Lucy practically begged.

Steve answered before Natasha had the chance to. "Lucy, James is going to spend some alone time with Mama today," the little girl's face immediately dropped to sadness. "But why don't you and I have another tea party?"

"Okay Daddy!" Lucy answered, once again cheerful. "But you have to wear a princess crown this time!"

"Alright, deal. Now you and James go get dressed, okay?"  
"Yes Daddy," James and Lucy said in unison. Natasha laughed to herself. Steve really would do anything for his children.

* * *

"Why did you have to go away again Mama?" James asked his mother sweetly as the two walked hand-in-hand to the park. Of course, James and Lucy had caught on that their parents were important people, but they didn't know the whole story (that they were superheroes). Steve and Natasha had decided to wait to tell their children the whole truth until they were older.

"I had to go away for work James. I had to do an important job with your Uncle Clint."

"Oh," was James' only reply.

Natasha stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and knelt down to her son's height. "Look, I know that it's hard for you and your sister because Daddy and I go away a lot for work," Natasha said concisely, using language that a five-year old could understand. "But we hate to leave you two, and we wouldn't if we didn't have to. Your Daddy and I help a lot of people at work, and that's why we leave. Do you understand sweetie?"

James nodded his head in agreement and threw his arms around his mother's neck. The gesture made Natasha melt inside as she reciprocated the hug. "I love you Mama," James said in his small voice. That made Natasha smile proudly as she hugged her son tighter. When did she get so sentimental?

"I love you too мальчик. Now come on," Natasha stated with a smile as she stood. "Let's go have some fun at the park, just you and me."

* * *

Later that night, the family of four was seated around the dinner table, enjoying a meal. Natasha was relishing the momentary silence after her long mission. "Did you and Mama have fun at the park today James?" Steve asked his son.

"Yes Daddy, Mama and I played all day, and then we got ice cream. I had vanilla and Mama had strawberry."

"Yeah, we had a good time, didn't we?" Natasha stated, smoothing James' hair. "Lucy, did you have a good time with Daddy?"

"Yes! We had a huge tea party, and Daddy was wearing my princess crown. And he let me paint his toenails pink!" The five-year old said quickly, giggling.

"I think you're going to have to tell Uncle Clint and Uncle Tony about that," Natasha said with a smirk.

"Yeah! They'll think it's so funny, right Daddy?"

"We'll have to see about that Luce, let's just keep it between us for now," the soldier replied sheepishly.

"Okay Daddy, I'll try," Lucy said with a smirk, arching one of her red eyebrows. _God, she looks just like Natasha_, Steve thought to himself.

The conversation was interrupted by James' violent coughing.

"Whoa, are you okay buddy," Steve inquired, moving to pat his son's back. James nodded, reaching to take a few sips of his water. After several moments, James was able to catch his breath.

"Are you alright James?" Natasha asked, her protective instincts kicking in. James nodded again and made eye contact with his mother. Steve returned to his seat, and Natasha began to rub James' back in rhythmic circles. "Did food get stuck in your throat?"

"Yeah, I think so," James spoke hoarsely. "May I please be excused?"

"Me too, please?" Lucy tried.

"Yes, you both may be excused. But go play in your rooms, Mama and I will be there in a few minutes to put PJ's on." The two kids ran off, leaving Steve and Natasha alone to clean up the meal. "Do you feel okay Nat?" Steve questioned. "You look kind of pale."

"Yeah, I'm just exhausted. And I have a headache, but it's nothing serious," she gave Steve a reassuring smile.

"Alright, I'll finish cleaning up, you go help the twins. I'll be there when I finish up here."

* * *

After watching _Frozen_ for the hundredth time, Steve and Natasha were able to get James and Lucy to bed.

"I can finally get some alone time with my beautiful wife," Steve smiled as Natasha got under the bed covers. He took her form in her strong arms and pulled her close to him. She rolled over on her side to meet his gaze. Steve cupped her delicate face with his large hand, then furrowed his brow in confusion. "Are you sure you feel okay Nat?" Steve asked, which earned him an eye roll from Natasha. Ignoring the gesture, Steve placed the back of his hand on her forehead. "You feel kind of warm babe."

"Steve, I'm _fine_." She replied. "I just need some sleep is all." She kissed him square on the lips before rolling back over. "Night Steve."

"Goodnight Nat."

* * *

Natasha's eyes shot open at the sound of her bedroom door opening. She was about to reach for her 9mm when she heard soft whimpering. Steve rustled in the bed next to her—he had obviously heard it too.

"Mama? Daddy?" James' voice came out quietly through broken sobs.

"James?" Natasha sprang up into a sitting as her son ran to her and crawled into her arms. "It's 12:00 am baby, what's the matter?"

"I don't feel good Mama," he said, burying his head in the crook of her neck. Steve rolled over, still half-asleep. Natasha motioned for him to go back to bed. "Alright sweetie, come on," Natasha whispered, standing up with James in her arms. She carried him downstairs to the kitchen and set him down on the countertop. "What hurts?" Natasha questioned, gently wiping the tears from her son's face.

"My throat hurts. And my head hurts. And I'm really cold," the child responded sadly.

"Okay, come lay down on the couch. I'll be right back." James complied and Natasha laid a blanket over him before going to retrieve a thermometer. She returned a minute later with the thermometer and some throat medicine. "Open up James," the boy obeyed and Natasha placed the instrument under his tongue. "Now don't talk or move until it beeps." The spy sat down on the couch next to her son. She had to admit; she wasn't feeling so hot herself. A minute later, the thermometer beeped and Natasha pulled it out of James' mouth. "You have a fever buddy. 102.6. Stay here and drink this," she handed him the throat medicine, to which James made a face. "You can watch TV, but stay here. We don't want you to get anyone else sick."

Natasha returned to the kitchen and cleaned the thermometer with rubbing alcohol before putting it in her own mouth. When the thing beeped, she removed it to look at her own body temperature. 101.8—she had a fever too. Great.

She grabbed her cell phone before returning to the couch. Natasha sat down next to James as he laid his head down in her lap, mindlessly watching TV. Natasha began to finger with his blond locks as she spoke. "Guess what James?"

"What?" he replied hoarsely and quietly.

"I'm sick too. Mama doesn't feel very good either. I'm sorry, I think I got you sick."  
"That's okay. But, can you stay with me Mama?"

"Yes sir, I'm not moving. Don't worry мальчик, I'm going to take care of you." The two sat there in silence for a while before Natasha had a thought. She pulled out her phone and dialed Clint's number.

"Hello?" a very congested archer picked up.

"Let me guess, you're sick?"

"Tash? Man, you sound pretty bad."

"Not as bad as my son sounds," the spy retorted.

"Aww, James is sick too? Listen, I think that we picked something up on our mission."

"Yeah, that sounds right. And I gave it to James—I spent all day with him yesterday."

"Sorry Nat. This sucks," the archer stated.

"Is that Uncle Clint?" James asked weakly. "Can I talk to him?" Natasha couldn't refuse and handed her phone over to her son. "Uncle Clint?"

"Hey kiddo. I heard you don't feel too well."

"Nope. Mama doesn't feel good either."

"I heard, but you know what? I don't feel very good too."

"Mmhmm," James mumbled.

"Well look at it this way, you get to spend plenty of time with Mama."

"Yeah, I guess that is good."

"Alright, well I've got to go. Feel better kiddo."

"Bye Uncle Clint," James handed the phone back to his mother. He laid back down on her, placing his small head in her lap once again. James stared up at Natasha before letting out a big yawn. Natasha turned off the TV and laid down next to James.

"Come on мальчик, let's try to get some sleep."

* * *

"Come on Nat, let me take care of you and James," Steve pleaded to his wife the next morning. "You know that I can't get sick."

"And what about Lucy?" Natasha said through a stuffy nose. "She can get sick." Steve sighed—there was no way he was winning this argument. Natasha coughed a few times before speaking again. "Look, Clint is on his way to D.C. to hang out with me and James. We'll be fine—just please go to New York with Lucy and stay at the Tower for a few days."

"Alright, fine. But if anything happens, I want you to call me right away," the soldier replied.

"Yes Captain," Natasha agreed with an arch of her eyebrow.

* * *

About an hour later, Natasha and James said goodbye to Steve and Lucy. "Alright little man, what do you want to do?"

"Can we watch _Cars_ Mama?" James asked earnestly.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather watch _Frozen_ again?" Natasha smirked.

"No way Mama! I want to watch _Cars_ and spend time with _you_!"

"Don't worry James, I'm not going anywhere."


	6. We Don't Mind

"Are you sure you don't mind watching them?" Natasha Romanoff asked cautiously through the phone.

"Of course not!" Pepper Potts replied enthusiastically. "We love spending time with our favorite niece and nephew."

"Okay, thanks Pepper. I owe you one." Natasha and Steve had both been called away on a three-day mission along with Clint and Bruce. That left Tony and Pepper the only two available to watch James and Lucy. "Steve and I will drop them off tomorrow morning. Thanks again, we'll see you then!" Of course, Natasha wasn't entirely comfortable with leaving her eighteen-month old twins alone for three days, even if Pepper was there to look after them. But there was nothing she could do to change the situation, she could only hope for the best.

* * *

The following morning, Natasha and Steve found themselves at the Avengers Tower bright and early. Steve held a sleeping Lucy in his arms while Natasha held James' hand to help him walk out of the elevator once they reached Tony and Pepper's floor. The couple was waiting for the family of four to arrive as the elevator doors opened.

"James! Hey sweetie, how are you?" Pepper asked tenderly as she dropped to James' height. In return, James smiled and turned to hug his mother's leg.

"Someone's just being shy," Natasha replied. "He's half-asleep, he just woke up from the car."

"Up!" James demanded, reaching his small arms up to his mother. Natasha complied and lifted her son up into her arms. The child leaned his head against Natasha's chest and she began to stroke his blond hair.

"Thanks again for watching them, it means a lot," Steve said quietly.

"Of course, any time! We love having them here," Pepper exclaimed, which caused Lucy to wake up. She picked her head up to take in the unfamiliar surroundings. Her eyes proceeded to fill with tears as she began to cry.

"Mama!" Lucy managed through her sobs, reaching for Natasha from Steve's arms.

"Switch?" the soldier asked as he took James from Natasha and handed her a screaming Lucy. Natasha bounced Lucy back and forth a few times until she ceased crying.

"And Pepper wonders why we don't have kids," Tony said to no one in particular. Pepper shot him a nasty glare before Steve spoke again.

"Well, they are a handful, but I wouldn't trade them. I love them both more than anything, you'll see Tony when you have one."  
"You mean _if_ I have one."

"Steve? Sorry to interrupt, but we really have to get going. The others are waiting for us," Natasha cut in.

"Alright, let's just say goodbye."

"Pepper, you got the instructions I sent to you about their schedules and everything?" Natasha asked.

"Yes I have everything. Don't worry about us, we'll have fun," Pepper replied and tool Lucy from Natasha. "Now go on your mission, and be careful. Both of you." Steve handed James over to Tony and he and Natasha said their goodbyes before they headed back down the elevator.

* * *

"Okay, so what do we do with them now?" Tony questioned a minute after Steve and Natasha left.

"Well, Natasha said that she didn't feed them before they left so they're probable hungry," Pepper replied.

"Are you guys hungry?" Tony asked.

"James hungry!" the toddler said excitedly, referring to himself.

"I'm going to take that as a yes." Pepper had already prepared their floor with the items needed to take care of James and Lucy. She had the entire team work to baby proof the tower as soon as the kids could crawl. Tony walked into the kitchen and placed James in one of the vacant high chairs. The toddler looked up at the billionaire expectantly—the kid looked exactly like Steve, he even had the same gaze as his father. "Uh Pep? What do I feed him?"

"There's vanilla yogurt in the fridge for them," Pepper answered as she put Lucy in the high chair next to James. "Tony I have to run to the store for a few minutes. Do you think that you can manage feeding them while I'm gone?"

"Of course, I'm perfectly capable of feeding the munchkins." Pepper gave Tony a quick peck on the cheek before exiting the tower. "Alright kids, who's hungry?" Tony questioned as he removed the yogurt from the fridge. He pulled out two metal spoons from a drawer before removing the lids from the yogurt containers.

"Sir, I would advise against using metal utensils to feed Miss. and young Mr. Rogers," JARVIS warned. "Miss. Potts purchased child-safe utensils and placed them in the drawer to your left."

"Thanks J," Tony replied to the A.I., easily finding the objects he was directed to. He then pulled a chair over to the two high chairs. "Alright guys, now how do I feed you both at once." Lucy slammed her small hands on the high chair tray eagerly. Tony dipped a spoon in one of the containers and moved it to Lucy's mouth. She accepted the food gratefully.

"More, more, more!" She begged excitedly.

"Me hungry!" James whined next.

"Ok James hang on," Tony dipped a new spoon in the second yogurt container and fed James a spoonful. Tony turned his attention back to Lucy and was met with a face full of yogurt. He had, foolishly, left the container on her high chair tray. The toddler proceeded to take a fistful of yogurt and throw it at her uncle. Lucy then laughed at the billionaire's stunned reaction.

"Oh my gosh, did your mother teach you to do that?" The toddler continued to laugh, getting yogurt all over the place in the process.

"James!" Lucy exclaimed, spotting her brother. She then took another handful of yogurt, flinging it at the boy. The food hit him square in the side of the face. James' eyes immediately filled with tears as he began to cry. Lucy continued to laugh as James cried.

Just then, the elevator door dinged and Pepper entered the room. "Tony! What did you do?" she questioned sternly over the commotion and hurried to pick up the yogurt-covered James.

"Nothing!" He puts his hands up defensively. "It was her!" Tony exclaimed, pointing to Lucy. Lucy picked up on Pepper's distressed tone and her small eyebrows formed into a v. She mirrored her brother and began to cry.

"Oh yeah Tony, the one year old did all this. Come on sweeties, I think it's time for a bath," Pepper took James into her arms and tried to console him. She then scooped Lucy up into her other arm.

"I'm going to hear it for this later," Tony murmured to himself as Pepper disappeared down the hall with Lucy and James.

* * *

Pepper returned an hour later with a clean James and Lucy. Tony approached her as soon as she entered the living room. She allowed him to take Lucy from her. "Pepper I'm really sorry, I didn't know what I was doing and—" Pepper suddenly cut him off by moving her lips against his.

"I'm not mad Tony. I'm the one who left you alone with them anyway."

"Alright, thanks. Now, what so these two do for fun?"

* * *

Later on the night of the second day, Tony, Pepper, and the twins were seated in the living room. James and Lucy were clothed in their pajamas and would be going to bed shortly. "Come on squirt say it. Say Uncle Tony." Lucy ignored him ad continued playing with her doll while James stared at him blankly. "Come on James, just say it. Uncle Tony."

"Unca...Unca T-t-t..." the toddler tried.

"He's not going to say it Tony," Pepper mused, picking up a doll and playing with Lucy.

"Yes he will. Spangles is smart, and everyone says that James is exactly like him."

"That's true. I'll bet he can say Aunt Pepper. James," she said, capturing the blond boy's attention. "Can you say Aunt Pepper please?"

James smiled sweetly before attempting to speak. "A-a...Peppa!" he shouted happily.

"Ha! Good boy James," Pepper praised as she kissed his head lightly.

"Don't get too confident, this isn't over yet," Tony cautioned. The billionaire stood up as Lucy watched intently.

"Up!" Lucy demanded, standing up next to Tony. "Please," she said, reaching her arms up.

"Well, you learned some manners from your Daddy," Tony said as he lifted Lucy. She tiredly laid her head on his shoulder and began to suck her thumb.

"She's zoning out," Pepper said, still seated on the floor with James. "Why don't you put her to bed Tony?"

"Okay, say goodnight Lucy." Lucy picked up her small hand and waved to the Aunt and brother. Tony disappeared down the hall before James spoke.

"Lucy!"

"That's right James, Lucy is going to bed now."

"Sleep."

"Good job, that's right sweetie," Pepper praised James for making the connection between bed and sleep. "Do you want to go night-night James?"

He looked around the room hastily, confused. His expression easily morphed into one of concern. "Where Mama?" Pepper was waiting for this to come from one of them.

"Mama's not here buddy, but she'll be back to get you soon," Pepper tried, knowing that James had no clue what she was saying. Promptly, his eyes filled with tears as he failed to locate his mother. Pepper picked up a sniffling James and attempted to calm him down before he had a complete meltdown.

"Want Mama!" James continued to scream as Pepper bounced him back and forth. The child was inconsolable, and continued to call for Natasha.

Tony reentered the room fifteen minutes later with his hands covering his ears. "What's wrong with him?" he asked, motioning to James.

"He won't stop screaming, he wants Natasha."

Tony walked over to Pepper and took James from her. "Hey kid, what's the matter? You miss your mom?" Tony attempted to get James to stop crying by making funny faces at him for several minutes—but it was to no avail. "What are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know!" Pepper responded nervously. "He never cries, especially not like this."

"Well, then I guess we'll just have to improvise."

* * *

James continued to scream for the next hour and a half. Tony and Pepper had tried everything—feeding him, changing him, rocking him, singing to him, and reading to him, but he had ceased to stop crying. "I don't know what else to do Tony," Pepper said as she rocked James in a rocking chair. "Do you think that Fury will patch us through to Nat if we call and ask? Maybe he'll stop crying if he hears her voice."

"No way, Fury said this was an important mission. But I have an idea, stay here," Tony said hurriedly before rushing out of the room. He returned several minutes later with a white t-shirt and a picture frame. The picture was one of Natasha and Pepper. "Here, I got one of Natasha's shirts from her and Steve's floor. It sells like her. And here's that picture of you and her." Tony handed the two items to Pepper, who was supporting the crying James with one arm.

"James look," Pepper addressed the toddler hopefully. "Who's this?" she continued, showing James the picture.

"Mama," he replied softly, pointing to his mother. Next, James spotted the spy's shirt and took it from Pepper. Thankfully, he had stopped crying.

"That's right honey, that's Mama," Pepper replied. James hugged Natasha's shirt and his eyelids began to droop after Pepper had rocked him for several minutes. "Are you ready to go night-night James?" The small boy yawned in response. "I'm going to take that as a yes," Pepper said, then placed James carefully in his crib. James quickly fell asleep clutching Natasha's shirt, having cried himself out.

Pepper soundlessly closed the door and went to meet Tony in their bedroom. "That was a really good idea with the picture and everything." She climbed under the covers and snuggled up to her boyfriend. "You're going to make a really great dad."

"Thanks Pep, but we'll see about that."

* * *

"Daddy!" Lucy screamed happily as she ran over to greet her father when he and Natasha stepped out of the elevator the following night. Steve swiftly scooped his daughter up into his arms, kissing her on the head.

"Hi sweetheart. How's my princess?"

"Good."

"Hello baby girl," Natasha said, stroking her daughter's red hair. The spy was sporting a noticeable bruise under her left eye. "How were they?" Natasha asked Tony and Pepper. "And where's James?"

"He's passed out asleep," Tony replied. "The kid screamed for you all last night."

"Aw, sorry if they were trouble," Steve added empathetically.

"It was no problem," Pepper cut in. "We'll watch them any time."  
"How about you Tony, ready to have your own kids yet?" Natasha asked with a smirk.

"No way, your little devils are enough for me. And I can borrow them whenever I want."

"We'll see about that," Pepper said slyly as the CEO, soldier, and spy laughed together.

* * *

**A/N: **I apologize for not updating, I've been super busy with sports and getting ready for school. I'm not too sure about this chapter, but I hope that everyone enjoyed it nonetheless! Please review and leave me feedback, I'm happy to consider everything!


	7. Bored

**A/N:**** I**s anyone still out there? I can not apologize enough for not posting an update for so long. I guess that life just got in the way. I have been _extremely_ busy with sports and school, and I've also been uninspired to write. However, I hope that I will be able to update more frequently now that things are winding down. I hope that everyone enjoys this (fluffy) chapter and thank you for reading!

* * *

"I'm sooo bored," Lucy Rogers moaned. She was currently lying—if that's what you wanted to call it—on the couch. Her head was hanging off the edge of the cushion; a pile of strawberry blond locks sweeping the floor. "You guys don't let me do anything around here."

"Sorry kid, we could do a lot of stuff if your mom stops threatening me," Tony Stark replied. The two were sitting in the living room of the Avengers tower, watching TV mindlessly. Natasha was away on a mission, and Steve took James to a Yankees game for some father-son bonding time.

"Can I dye my hair purple?"

"Sure, if you're up to planning my funeral. Seriously though, purple?"  
Lucy shrugged nonchalantly, "I think it's cool."

"It's not. Anyway, do you want to watch _Frozen_ or something?"

"No, I watched it yesterday with Mama and Aunt Pepper," the eight-year old sighed as Tony internally cursed Pepper and Natasha.

"All right then. I have an idea, why don't we go shopping? This is New York City after all," Tony said cautiously, not too keen on shopping. He usually hated when Pepper dragged him along to various boutiques and high-end stores.

Lucy's green eyes lit up as she shot upright, a smile on her face. "Can we Uncle Tony, please? I'll be really good I promise!"

"Alright Luce, calm down. If you can get yourself dressed in the next ten minutes, we can go shopping." At that, Lucy bolted down the hallway to her room at the Tower. "You better hurry, I'm timing you!" Tony shouted after the young girl as her laughter filled the halls.

* * *

Exactly eight minutes later, Lucy emerged wearing a long gray long-sleeve shirt with white leggings with polka dots on them. Tony felt a surge of pride knowing that Lucy dressed herself—the kid really looked adorable. How did Steve and Natasha ever say no to her? "Uncle Tony?" Lucy's voice pulled the billionaire from his thoughts. "Can you braid my hair please?" she asked innocently and held out a hairbrush to her uncle.

"Uh sorry kiddo, but I don't know how to braid hair," he responded sheepishly. The small girl's face immediately fell.

"But Daddy knows how to braid," she cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms. She looked exactly like her mother in that moment.

"Well I guess that your Daddy is just more talented than I am."

"I'll tell him you said that," Lucy retorted with a sly smile.

"All right, all right. Do you want to go shopping or not?" Tony replied, placing his hands up in defeat.

"Yes please," Lucy said politely as she fastened a pink bow into her curly hair. "Can I sit in the front seat?"

"That depends, are you going to tell your parents?"

"I won't I promise," she replied happily.

"Okay, come on kiddo let's get a move on."

* * *

"You know, the first time that your parents made out was on an escalator like this," Tony told Lucy as they made their way up the mall elevator.

"Ew that's gross Uncle Tony."

"I'm sure you won't think so in a few years," Tony gave Lucy a wink and a nudge as they stepped off the escalator. "Anywho, where do you want to shop first?"

"Can we go to Justice?" Lucy asked excitedly, her blue-green eyes lighting up.

"Whatever you want. You're in charge today. Your parents aren't around, so we might as well have some fun right?" Tony questioned.

"Oh definitely," Lucy replied as a devilish smirk found it's way across her face.

* * *

"Can we go to Claire's for jewelry?" Lucy asked happily.

"Yes, but this is our last stop. Your parents will be back at the tower soon to pick you up and besides, my arms are about to fall off from all these bags." The duo had been shopping for the last four hours and, naturally, Tony bought _everything _that Lucy wanted. He even bought her some things that she didn't even like. The two then walked into the jewelry and accessories store. They would definitely be spending a lot of money in this story. Tony couldn't wait to get his next credit card bill.

"Hello welcome to Claire's!" a peppy saleswoman greeted Lucy and Tony. "Can I help you with something? We have a huge selection of jewelry and hair accessories. Also, we offer a free pair of earrings when you get your ears pierced here."

At that, Lucy eyed Tony. She wanted something bad; he just didn't know what until his niece spoke up. "Can I get my ears pierced Uncle Tony?"

"No. Absolutely not, your mother will shoot me through the head," Tony said firmly.

"Pretty pretty please? All my friends at school have them pierced, and I'm the only one that doesn't. It makes me feel so left out. I don't want them to make fun of me," Lucy pleaded giving Tony her best puppy-dog face.

Tony was being played—and he knew it. However, he couldn't say no to her. He needed to maintain his status as her favorite uncle. "Your mother is going to kill me," he said looking to Lucy.

"So is that a yes?"

"I guess it's alright. It's not like it'll do any real damage," Tony proceeded cautiously.

"Yay! Thank you so much Uncle Tony! Don't tell Uncle Clint, but you're my favorite uncle." Five minutes later, Lucy was all cleaned up and seated in a chair, ready for the saleswoman to stick a needle through her ears.

"Which earrings would you like?" the salesperson asked Lucy as she held up a box of earrings. Lucy picked a pair of hot pink diamond studs.

"Okay, I'm ready!" Lucy exclaimed, squirming in the seat. Tony pulled out his phone and started video taping the experience—just in case. A minute later, the saleswoman had the piercing gun up to Lucy's ear and was pushing the needle through. Lucy barely flinched the two times the needle went through each of her ears.

"Wow, you're pretty brave," the saleswoman praised Lucy as she help up a mirror. Lucy inspected herself and smiled in accord.

"I guess I'm just like my mom then. She's pretty brave," Lucy said with a smile. _That comment would have made Natasha melt_, Tony thought to himself.

"Alright kiddo, let's get you home. I just got an alert that your mother is on her way back to the tower. I'm sure your dad isn't far behind her."

"Okay, I'm ready!" After receiving proper care instructions and materials, Tony packed up his car with all the shopping bags and the two drove back to the tower.

* * *

Natasha stepped off of the elevator onto the communal floor of the Avengers Tower. She was immediately greeted with a plethora of shopping bags; that could only mean one thing. "Tony? What have you been up to?" she questioned loudly and dropped her duffle bag on the ground. She was about to start sifting through the shopping bags when she was interrupted.

"Mama you're back!" Lucy shouted, running into her mother. Natasha almost fell down backwards from the impact. Well, the impact plus the fact that she was dead tired from her mission. The bruises on her sides didn't help either.

"Yeah, hey девочка. I see that you and Uncle Tony have been pretty busy," she said, looking her daughter over. Lucy had been smart enough to cover her ears with her hair. Lucky for Tony, Natasha's inspection was interrupted by the arrival of James and Steve.

"Hey Nat," Steve smiled as he embraced his wife with a quick kiss. "Hi princess, I missed you today," Steve hugged his daughter.

"I missed you too. I had a _ton_ of fun with Uncle Tony though. We went shopping at the mall," Lucy jumped up and down excitedly.

"I can see that," Steve said with a warning look at Tony.

"And Uncle Tony told me about how the first time you made out with Mama was on an escalator in a mall."

"Eww, Daddy that's gross," James stated, scrunching up his features in disgust.

"Mama you didn't notice!" Lucy said proudly, thinking she had played her mother. Tony's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he realized what she was about to do.

"What did I miss Lucy? Tell me," Natasha said softly, bending to her daughter's height. Lucy simply pulled her hair back behind her ears, revealing the small pink studs that were now in them. Natasha's smile immediately fell as her Black Widow face appeared. She focused in on Tony, "Ohh no. You _did not_ take my daughter to get her ears pierced," Natasha stood up to her full height and approached Tony. Steve bent down to Lucy to inspect the damage. Steve could see that his daughter was upset, so her sent her and James off to play in another room.

"I ah may have. I didn't want to though, she begged me. She told me that kids at school tease her because she's the only one without pierced ears," Tony said quickly as his words streamed together.

"She completely played you Tony! She was _lying_ to get what she wanted. And I'm sure she gave you her beggars face too," Natasha spat, furious with her fellow Avenger.

"I'm _sorry_ Natasha, I just thought that I was doing her some good." Natasha was on the verge of exploding. Steve noticed this and decided that it was time to intervene. He walked in between Tony and Natasha and placed his hands on his wife's shoulders.

"Tony, we can discuss this more later. And all the things that you bought her will be returned. Nat, come with me, we'll deal with this later." Natasha didn't want to comply, but Steve all but dragged her away from the situation. Tony caught her nasty gaze as she and Steve disappeared into a different room.

"I cannot _believe_ that he did that!" Natasha confessed to Steve once they were alone. "He had no right to do that. Lucy is our daughter, and we need to make these decisions. Not Tony."

"Listen Nat, I know that you're really upset right now, but Lucy is really happy. And in the grand scheme of things, it's not that big of a deal."

"I know, I know. And to be fair it's not _completely_ Tony's fault. But still, I wanted to be the one to take her to get her ears pierced. _I'm_ her mother and she's my only daughter," Natasha whispered as Steve pulled her into him.

"I know, but there are still so many things that Lucy needs you for. You're her mother and Tony can't replace that role. She loves you Natasha, and I think that we just need to let this one go. Besides, she does look adorable with those pink earrings."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Natasha said as a small smile slid across her face. "But we still need to get Tony for this."

"Agreed, we can deal with him later. And when you said that Lucy's your only daughter, were you implying that you want more kids?" Steve asked innocently. The prospect of having more children had been debated upon for years in the Rogers house. Steve pounced on every opportunity he had.

"No. That is not up for discussion," Natasha shut him down.

"Well, it was worth a shot. And do you realize that Lucy pulled a page right from your book playing Tony like that?" Steve said almost in amazement.

"Yeah I guess so," Natasha chuckled to herself. "I taught her good."

"Yes you did," Steve concluded and then leaned in to kiss her passionately on the lips.


	8. Christmas Eve

Everyone knows that Christmas is Natasha's favorite holiday. Maybe it was the cheerful atmosphere or young excitement—it definitely wasn't the Christmas music. It was a rare occasion when the Avengers had a break from fighting missions. For the second time over the past few years, the entire "family" was going to be together at the tower to celebrate.

"Is Santa coming _tonight_ Daddy?" Lucy asked her father earnestly.

"No Lucy, today is December 23rd. Santa will come tomorrow night on Christmas Eve," the super soldier replied to the same question for what felt like the billionth time.

"Aww. Well, we're going to leave him lots of cookies for when he comes."

"That's right."

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"What about Santa's reindeer? What do they eat? Won't they be hungry too?" Lucy questioned, tilting her head to one side.

"I don't think that Santa's reindeer can fit down the chimney," Steve said with a small chuckle. "But we can leave some carrots next to the cookies. Maybe Santa will bring them back outside for his reindeer to eat."

"Okay," Lucy replied. Then after a short pause, "Daddy? Why does Mama like Christmas so much?"

Steve laughed to himself over his daughter's curiosity and perceptiveness. "Well, you'll just have to ask her yourself. Come on Lucy-Lou; let's go see what the girls are up to in the kitchen." Steve extended his hand, and Lucy took it excitedly.

* * *

"Hi Mama!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly as she burst out of the elevator and onto the common floor.

"Good timing Lucy," Pepper said. "You can be our official taste-tester," Pepper handed Lucy a warm chocolate chip cookie. The six year old devoured it before giving two thumbs up. "So I guess we'll need another batch of these then," Pepper smiled. At the same time, Steve motioned that he was going to check in on Tony, Bruce, Clint, Thor, and James.

"Mama, I have a question."

"Yes девочка?" the redhead spy said as she pulled her daughter into her lap.

"Why do you like Christmas so much?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Yeah Natasha, I would like to know that too," Jane cut in. "You seem to have so much more patience around Christmas."

"Well, it's a good story. I've always loved Christmas. But Steve is just one more reason why I love it so much..."

* * *

*_Flashback-Christmas Eve_*

* * *

"I can't believe that we're all home for Christmas and can spend it together," Steve mused happily as Natasha fixed his tie. She looked stunning—She had on a sleeved red lace dress that ended mid-thigh. His eyes fell to her waist, where the dress was tight and accentuated her flawless curves and angles. Her crimson hair fell in loose curls just past her delicate shoulders. To top it all off, she wore a pair of nude pumps and the dainty diamond bracelet that he had bought her for Christmas last year.

"I know. It's kind of like a Christmas miracle," she finished and stepped back to admire her boyfriend.

"Nat, you look gorgeous."

"You clean up pretty nice too," she said with a smirk and then leaned in to kiss him tenderly. She pulled away and his lips lingered. "Come on soldier, we better get to Tony and Pepper's floor for this party."

Naturally, it was Tony's idea to throw a huge party on Christmas Eve. His floor was packed with strangers; people that Steve didn't recognize. Their plan was to have a nice, low-key Christmas among themselves, but it looks like that was just for Christmas Day now. Natasha was talking to Clint across the room when Tony approached him.

"Hey there Cap, enjoying the party?" Tony asked and flashed one of his signature smiles.

"Well, this isn't really my scene Tony. I'll be happy tomorrow when it's just our family here."

"All right party-pooper, suit yourself," Tony clasped Steve on the back before leaving him alone. Steve took a deep breath and went to retrieve Natasha.

*Meanwhile*

"I don't know Clint, there's just something...off about him tonight," Natasha explained to her best friend. "He seems jumpy—almost nervous."

"Don't sweat it Tash, you know how Steve gets when he feels uncomfortable. This party isn't exactly his cup of tea," the archer replied.

"Yeah you're probably right. I'm making a big deal out of nothing. Here he comes now."

"Hey Clint. Nat, do you mind if we get out of here for a few minutes? I could really use some air," Steve asked politely.

"Sure," Natasha replied with a small smile as she took his arm.

* * *

Natasha eyed Steve curiously as he let out a breath he had apparently been holding in. The elevator doors slid open on the roof and Natasha let out a small gasp. "Steve, what is all of this?" The roof of the tower was completely redecorated. There was a red carpet rolled out that was lined with candles in lanterns. The carpet led to a white gazebo that overlooked the New York City skyline and had candles on the railings around it. There were red roses everywhere—petals on the carpet, and roses in full bloom wound throughout the woodwork of the gazebo. To top it all off, white Christmas lights sparkled from the gazebo ceiling and soft music began to play from hidden speakers.

He turned to face her and bowed, holding out his hand. "Natasha, may I have this dance?"

She smiled and placed her hand in his. "Yes, you may." He led her across the carpet and up into the gazebo. He held her close and placed his hand on the small of her back. Together they silently swayed to the music for a while. Natasha broke the silence as _Can't Help Falling in Love_ came through the speakers. "I love this song," she whispered against his shoulder.

"I know," he whispered back as he released her and took both her hands in his. Before she registered what was happening, Steve dropped down to one knee. "Natalia Alianovna Romanova, you are the absolute love of my life. I don't know what I ever did to deserve you; your kindness, your love, and your attitude. I once thought that being frozen for all those years ruined my life. Ruined my only chance at love. But you, you're the reason why I am where I am today. Maybe being frozen in that ice was a blessing in disguise because if I were never frozen, I would have never met you. Never seen your bright smile, beautiful face, or the way that you move your eyebrows. I love everything about you, your strength, determination, and loyalty. I love your laugh, and the way you can stare someone down from across a room. I love how you can kick some ass and still look amazing doing it. You make me smile every single day and I still can't believe that you're with me. I love you more than anything, and I love you more and more each day. Every morning when I wake up next to you, I feel like I'm seeing you for the first time—falling for you for the first time." He reached inside his jacket and removed a black velvet box. He opened the lid to reveal a stunning ring and continued. "I know that I will never be good enough for you, but I'm hoping that you'll have me anyway. So, what'd do you say Nat? Will you marry me?"

"It's about God damn time Steve," she said through the tears that had began to pool in her eyes. She grabbed both sides of his face and passionately kissed him. Steve stood up and gingerly slid the ring on her slender finger. It was a big oval diamond, surrounded by smaller diamonds. Natasha took a moment to admire her ring. "It's beautiful Steve," she smiled widely.

"It was my mother's. And I wouldn't want it on anyone else's finger." She snaked her arms around his neck as _The Way You Look Tonight_ played. The two continued to dance the night away, not a care in the world.

At the end of their dance, Steve leaned in close to Natasha's ear. "Merry Christmas," he softly whispered before he pulled her in for another passionate kiss.

* * *

*_End Flashback*_

* * *

"Daddy is _so_ romantic Mama!" Lucy exclaimed happily, content with her mother's story.

"Yes he is Lucy, and that's one of the reasons why I love him so much. Now come on, let's finish making these cookies for Santa Claus!"

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for my absence, I will explain more in my next update. This is just a quick chapter I posted for something to read. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

-Fhockey42


	9. Stay With Me

"Nat?" Steve spoke into his comm. "We're all good up here, come on through."

"Rodger that Rogers," the spy replied with a small laugh to herself. All of the Avengers were currently on a mission in Germany. S.H.I.E.L.D. was able to locate a band of rouge HYDRA agents and their headquarters. Naturally, Fury summoned the Avengers to clean things up. Luckily, it was winter break and Pepper was able to watch six year olds James and Lucy at the Tower in New York.

Steve, Thor, and Tony had just finished securing the entrance and taking out all the guards. The next item on the agenda was to find any HYDRA weapons and bring them back to base. Then on the way out, they were going to destroy the massive warehouse.

Steve smiled to himself when he saw his wife, Bruce, and Clint turn the corner and head towards them. Natasha holstered her 9mm and began to walk briskly towards her teammates—they had a mission to complete.

Out of the corner of his eye, Steve saw a surviving HYDRA agent jump up from behind a pile of cargo crates. Before he could react, the sound of a bullet being fired rang throughout the room.

Natasha immediately sank to her knees as a pained gasp was forced from her mouth. Bruce was at her side in an instant. Steve's eyes went wide with horror; he quickly dropped his shield and sprinted to his wife while Tony and Thor took out the guilty agent.

Natasha was flat on her back by the time that Steve dropped to her side. "Natasha? I'm here, I'm here," he barely managed to say, gingerly taking her small hand in her large one. Natasha groaned and clenched her teeth together as a wave of pain consumed her. "How bad is it?" Steve questioned, turning his attention to Bruce—a gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"She'll be okay, but it's not good. She got hit on the right side of her chest underneath where her collarbone ends. We've got to get her back to the quintjet, and then right into surgery when we land," Bruce informed.

"Ste-St," Natasha stammered and tried to grip Steve's hand.

"Shh, it's gonna be all right Nat," Steve reassured. She was conscious as Steve carefully scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to the quintjet.

Within five minutes, the team was headed back to New York. Bruce had Steve hold a towel to Natasha's chest to slow down the bleeding. Thirty minutes into the flight, Steve noticed Natasha's eyelids start to droop as she struggled to maintain consciousness.

"Eyes on me Natasha. Come on, stay with me. Think about James and Lucy," Steve tried, but it was no use. The last thing that Natasha heard before slipping into darkness were the names of her children.

"She's lost a lot of blood," Bruce stated. "We need to get back to base as soon as possible." The doctor noticed Steve's blank stare and attempted to reassure him. "It'll be all right Steve. She's going to be fine; I won't let anything happen to her. I promise."

"I'm counting on you Bruce. I can't lose her—they can't grow up without her," was all Steve said before he returned to aimlessly playing with his wife's crimson curls.

* * *

Ninety minutes later, the quintjet landed at the S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital in New York. Steve watched on helplessly as Natasha was wheeled away into surgery. It took both Clint and Tony to hold Steve back and keep him from following Bruce and Natasha.

Tony saw that Steve was kept in the waiting room of the hospital while they waited for any updates on Natasha. Tony took the time to send a text to Pepper to let her know what was going on:

_Make sure you're not around the kids when you read this. Natasha was shot in the chest during our mission today. She's going to be fine, Bruce has her in surgery now. Steve is with me in the waiting room, he'll come get James and Lucy when Natasha is out of surgery. Don't tell the kids or let on that anything's wrong._

* * *

Steve sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair in the hospital's waiting room. He was hunched over, his head in his hands. The man struggled to remain calm as chaotic thoughts swirled through his head. He knew he wasn't going to lose Natasha, but he couldn't stop blaming himself for what happened. If only he had taken out that agent—if only he were the one who was shot.

Steve was pulled from his thoughts as Bruce emerged from the door of the waiting room. The super soldier practically jumped out of his chair upon Bruce's arrival. "How is she?" he questioned eagerly.

Bruce held both hands up defensively as he tried to get Steve to calm down. "She's out of surgery and everything went well. There's no timetable on how long she'll have to stay in the hospital, but I'm 100 percent certain that Natasha's going to make a full recovery." Steve let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding in.

"Can I see her?"

"Not yet Steve, sorry, She's still unconscious, and it looks like she's going to stay that way for a few more hours," Bruce informed. "Steve, go back to the Tower and to your kids. I promise that you'll be the first call I make when she's close to waking up." After several minutes of persuasion, Steve begrudgingly agreed to go back to the Tower to inform James and Lucy of the situation.

* * *

Steve stared at the harsh metal doors as he took a breath and braced himself. He plastered a fake smile on his face as the elevator doors slid open to Tony and Pepper's living room.

"Daddy!" Lucy squealed. The young redhead abandoned her coloring book and ran into her father as he dropped to a knee. Steve gratefully accepted his daughter's embrace and held her longer than he normally would have. Lucy pulled back and studied her father's face. Her smile immediately fell and was replaced by the concerned arching of her eyebrows. _Damn, she's too much like Natasha already_, Steve thought to himself as he dropped his pretend smile. "Daddy, what's wrong?"

"Uh, where's your brother sweetheart?"  
"In the kitchen with Aunt Pepper," Steve rose and took Lucy's hand as he moved to the kitchen.

"Hi Daddy! Aunt Pepper and I are making cookies!" James greeted his father happily as Pepper gave Steve a knowing look.

"Hey buddy, it looks like somebody's having fun."  
"Mmhmm. Where's Mama?" James asked innocently.

"Here, let's talk about that," he lifted Lucy up onto the barstool next to James. Two sets of eyes—one blue, one green—stared at him intently. "I don't want to make you two upset, but your mother was in an accident when we were on our mission today."

"Is Mama dead? Is she coming back?" Lucy screamed nervously.

"No, no, no honey Mama's not dead—don't worry. She's—"

"Is she going to be okay Daddy?" James questioned quietly.

"Yes James," Steve started softly. "This morning, a bad guy saw Mama and shot her right here," Steve pointed to a spot on his own chest. "So we came right back here to the hospital and uncle Bruce was able to help Mama feel better."

"Can we go see her?" James asked, surprisingly calm.

"Yes we can. Come on, Aunt Pepper can come with us." Lucy made a sharp choking noise as tears spilled over her eyelids. She reached up to Steve, asking him to carry her. He complied, even though she was too old. She buried her head in the side of his neck as she continued to sob. Pepper took James' hand and the group of four began their trek to the hospital.

* * *

James sat quietly next to Pepper as she softly stroked his hair. The two, along with Clint, Thor, Tony, Steve, and Lucy were all in the hospital waiting room. Lucy had not let go of Steve since they arrived at the hospital. The tension hung thickly in the air like moisture on one of those hot summer days. Steve tapped his foot rhythmically—sort of a nervous habit—as Lucy clung to him and tried not to cry again.

"Steve?" Bruce interrupted. Steve had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he hadn't heard Bruce enter the room. "Natasha's awake. She's asking for you."

* * *

Steve found himself at Natasha's door—that is, after Clint helped to pry Lucy off of him. Steve tentatively pulled down on the handle and opened the door. He stood there, taking her in. The only bright spot in the room was her hair, which fell messily across the pillow in crimson locks. All the color had disappeared from her face and her complexion was that of the stark white sheets. Her chest was heavily bandaged and an IV poked out from her arm.

Steve stood there for what felt like an eternity. Natasha's head lolled to the side as she noticed his presence. Her green eyes lacked their usual spark and were uncharacteristically dull. "Are you just going to stand there?" her voice came out, barely above a whisper. Steve said nothing in reply; he walked over to the bed and placed his forehead on hers, their noses just brushing.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again," he said, mimicking her whisper. "I'm so sorry Nat."

"I promise I'll try. And please don't. Don't you do that to yourself Steve. It was my own fault." She took sharp, pained breaths in between her words. Despite what she would tell everyone, Steve could see the pain behind her eyes. He decided not to argue against her for now; instead, he tilted his mouth to hers and lightly kissed her.

"I love you so much. And I know two little people who are very worried about their mother," Steve brought up as he stood. "Are you up for a quick visit?"

Natasha's eyes closed as a slow smile spread across her face. "I'm always up for them."

* * *

Several minutes later, Steve returned—each of his hands holding a smaller one. Both twins lagged slightly behind Steve as he walked them over to Natasha. Steve kneeled down next to them and urged them on.

"Are you okay Mama?" James asked cautiously as tears lingered in his eyes.

"Yeah мальчик, I'm all right, I've just got a big bandage on me. I'm so happy to see you two," she moved over to one side of the bed and patted the empty space next to her. Lucy anxiously crawled up onto the bed, followed by a more reluctant James. Lucy tried to hug Natasha, but a nervous Steve quickly pulled her back.

"No hugs for a while Lucy," Steve cautioned and released his daughter. "Now, I'm going to go tell your aunts and uncles that Mama's doing well. Can you two behave until I get back?" James and Lucy nodded yes in unison. "Okay. I'm not joking around," with a stern warning, Steve exited the room.

"See James, I told you. Mama's okay," Lucy declared, returning to her 'I'm always right' personality. "Mama when are you coming home?"

"I don't know Luce, but hopefully soon. I don't know if I'm allowed to drive all the way back to D.C., or if I will have to stay in New York for a little while."

"Oh, okay. Well I want to go ask Uncle Bruce. Can I go find him?"

"Yes, but be careful." Natasha only agreed to her daughter's request because Tony had gotten her a private floor in the S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital. "And stay away from the elevator." Lucy ran off happily, leaving Natasha and James alone in the room. "Come here James," Natasha asked as her son snuggled into her side. She used her good arm to stroke his blond hair. "All right, spill."

Like his father, James was a terrible liar and a worrier. "You really scared me Mama," James said, hurt evident in his small voice. "I didn't know what was going to happen or what to do."

"I know James, and I'm sorry. I should have been more careful today. I hate making you and your Daddy and your sister go through this and I'm sorry." _When did I get so sentimental?_ Natasha thought to herself.

James just inched himself closer to Natasha. "I don't want you and Daddy to go away forever and never come back."

"I don't want that either James. You, Lucy, and Daddy are my whole world."

"So you and Daddy will always be here? Promise?" James asked innocently.

Natasha embraced her son in a one-armed hug. "Daddy and I will always be here for you. Don't worry James." Natasha felt guilty for promising her son the one thing that she couldn't guarantee. At that moment, it felt like that bullet had hit her straight in the heart.

* * *

**A/N**: I want to offer a huge thank you to all of you for bearing with me. I know I haven't updated a lot recently, but I had a pretty awful end to 2014. Not to bore you with my personal issues, but to give you insight into what's been going on with me, my team finished 2-15 on the season and my car caught on fire in my school's parking lot (it was later totaled). Anyway, I'm looking forward to a new year with more frequent updates. Thank you to everyone who continues to read my writing, you guys are awesome! Happy (late) New Year!


	10. Count on Me

Just a quick, fluffy update. We're having a snow day here, so expect an (bigger) update soon!

* * *

She bolted upright, her voice pouring out of her mouth. Lucy couldn't stop herself from hyperventilating; couldn't prevent the tears from streaming down her face. Before she knew what she was doing, another scream was coming from her. A scream that she put all her might behind—eyes closed, chest forward, fists balled. And now she wasn't just crying, she was _sobbing_; painful moans escaping her lips.

"Lucy? What's wrong?" Steve said worriedly as he rushed into his daughter's room

"Daddy," Lucy barely managed between sobs. Steve sat down next to his daughter in the bed and pulled her shaking form into his. "I want...Mama," the nine year old cried.

"Shh. Shh, it's okay sweetie. Mama's not here right now. But I'm here. You're safe." Natasha had been away on a mission for the past two weeks, and the Rogers household was seriously starting to miss their resident assassin. Lucy and James had been holding up fine up until this point. Steve pulled Lucy into a snug hold, and rocked her slowly back and forth. "What happened Lucy?" Steve quietly asked when Lucy's sobs subsided.

"I had a nightmare. A really bad one with Mama in it."

"You know, you can tell me about it if you want. It might make you feel better to talk about it."

Lucy hesitated for a few moments as Steve brushed the red hairs out of her face. She started off slowly, but then the words just came. "We were all in New York. At Uncle Tony's Tower with everyone else there too. And then, I don't know how it happened, but just Mama and I were walking down the sidewalk. But then this...man, this bad looking man came out of nowhere. And Mama made me stand behind her and the man came after us. And then the bad man just grabbed Mama and took her into the street. Another man, like the first one, came and grabbed me too. He pinned me down in the middle of the street next to Mama. And then..." she trailed off. "Then the first man started to hurt Mama. And I was screaming and fighting against the man who was holding me, but he wouldn't let go. And they wouldn't stop hurting Mama. The entire time, Mama was screaming for me to run, and to go get you, but I couldn't run. They made me look at them hurting Mama. And then, all of a sudden, Mama stopped screaming. Then the men let her go, and they let me go too. They left and I went to Mama, but she wasn't moving by the time I got there. Then you came Daddy, but you were too late. Mama was gone. She was dead and I couldn't help her. All I did was watch her die. After I told you what happened, you told me that men did the same thing to you and James. Except that this time, the men made you watch and they...ended James," she finished, shaking in her father's grip.

"I'm so sorry baby," Steve whispered soothingly. "But you know that that's not going to happen, right? Your mother and I will do everything that we can to protect you and James."

"I know Daddy, but it was all so real."

" I'll bet it was. But besides," he smiled in an attempt to cheer Lucy up, "you know that Mama can take anyone, right? Even me."

Lucy giggled to herself, "I know that. Because Mama's the toughest person I know. Next to you, of course."

"Thanks Lucy-Lou. And don't tell Mama I told you this, but I think that she's tougher than me too," Steve added.

"I won't Daddy, you can trust me."

"I know I can," he kissed the top of her strawberry-blonde hair and relished the presence of his daughter.


	11. But Where?

"Daddy? Where do babies come from?" Steve's five-year-old daughter asked him innocently.

"Uhh," Steve dropped the paper he was reading to look at his daughter. "Why do you ask?" He knew this question was inevitable, but he wasn't expecting it _today_. She was only five, after all.

"Just because," Lucy replied. This was her new favorite phrase. Whenever she was in trouble or was questioned, she would reply with the unanimous 'just because'.

"Well, I think that's a question that you should ask your Mama later." Natasha was going to kill him.

"Okay," Lucy replied with a shrug, going back to her coloring. The silence was again interrupted a minute later. "How come Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper don't have any babies?"

"Well Luce, maybe they don't want them. And they're not married anyway."

"Do you have to be married to get a baby?"

"No, you don't. But it's a very good idea to wait until you're married until you have a baby," Steve replied, hoping to God that she wouldn't ask him any more questions on the subject. His answer seemed to appease her, and she went back to her task. Natasha had taken James with her to the store, and Steve and Lucy were relaxing in the living room of their house.

"Daddy?" Lucy questioned once again.

Patiently, Steve put down his paper and turned his attention to his daughter. "Yes?"

"Was I a cute baby?" she asked sheepishly.

"You were the prettiest baby that I have ever seen sweetheart. And your brother was the most handsome," he replied with a grin. "And you're still the prettiest little girl I've ever seen. Do you know why?" he said happily, rising from the couch.

"Why?"

"Because you look just like Mama. And you know that I like to kiss Mama. Now, come here you," Steve advanced toward Lucy, arms wide open trying to catch her. Her giggles filled the room as Steve chased her around, letting her get away. After a minute, he trapped her in his arms and began tickling her.

"Daddy stop!" she breathed through peals of laughter.

Steve picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, still tickling her. "What's the magic word?"

"Please!" Lucy screamed, and Steve stopped tickling her. The redhead continued to pant, catching her breath as Steve put her down gently. He wore a huge smile on his face. "You're so silly Daddy."

"I know I am, but so are you little girl," he replied.

* * *

"Mama? I'm confused," Lucy stated, her forehead crinkling as she spoke.

"What about девочка?" Natasha had to stifle a laugh at her daughter's face and colorful vocabulary. She was tucking Lucy into bed, and sat down on the bed next to Lucy's still form. James was sound asleep through the French doors in the next room.

"I asked Daddy where babies come from, but he told me to ask you. Where do babies come from Mama?" Lucy innocently questioned.

_Steve is a dead man_, Natasha thought to herself. "Well, why do you want to know?"

"Just because," the child replied the same as before.

"Now you may be able to get away with lying to Daddy," Natasha started, "but you can never lie to me девочка. Spill."

"Well, Jane's mama just had a baby," Jane being Lucy's best friend at school. "And now Jane has a sister named Mikaela. And then I was wondering how they got another baby for their family."

"I see now. But why do you care baby?" Natasha asked tentatively, trying to avoid an awkward conversation.

"I think that we should get another baby Mama. I want one," Lucy stated confidently.

"Okay," Natasha wanted to approach this gently. "I understand that Jane has a new sibling. But you already have a sibling, James. How do you think this will make him feel?"

"Oh, I already talked to James Mama," Lucy said matter-of-factly. "He wants another baby too." She paused to think. "Mama? Where can we go to buy another baby?"

Natasha was floored. This was almost worse than the sex question itself. Almost. "Lucy, you can't just go to the store and buy a baby. It doesn't work like that."

"Why not?" her forehead again scrunching in confusion.

"Just because," Natasha smirked. "No matter how badly you want a baby, you can't buy one. It takes a lot of time."

"But I don't understand Mama. If you can't buy babies, where do they come from?" Lucy pressed.

Steve was beyond dead. "Well, babies come from their Mama's belly. That's where they grow," Natasha started cautiously.

"Did I come from your belly too?" Lucy asked.

"Yes девочка. You and James are twins, you know that right?" Lucy nodded her head yes in reply. "Well that means that both of you were in my belly at the same time. See?" Natasha pulled out her phone and opened her photo album. She handed Lucy the phone with a picture of Natasha when she was pregnant on the screen. Natasha remembered that day. She was six months pregnant, and Steve had been insisting that she start taking pictures of her stomach every week. In this picture, Natasha had her shirt pulled up to reveal her bare stomach. She was smiling at the camera, but only because Steve had made her laugh while taking the photo. The picture was one of her favorites, and she made sure that she always had it on her phone.

Lucy smiled, her eyes lighting up. "Your belly was _so_ big Mama."

"I know. But it was worth it to have you and your brother." Natasha hoped that the conversation would end then and there.

"But how do babies get inside their Mama's bellies?" _Wishful thinking_, Natasha thought.

"Well, first a mama and a daddy who love each other very much have to decide that they want a baby." She soon decided that it was best to use Steve's method—religion (even if she didn't believe in it herself. "Then the mama and daddy pray to God, and God puts a baby in the Mama's belly," Natasha prayed that this would placate her daughter.

"Then how did you get two babies in your belly, Mama?"

"I guess that Daddy and I just prayed _really_ hard, and God rewarded us with two babies," Natasha smiled, feeding religious stuff that Steve would say to Lucy.

"Okay, I understand now." Natasha internally sighed. "Mama? Can I have a baby if I ask God for one?"

Natasha smiled, "No, девочка, I'm sorry."

"Why not? I'll pray really hard every night. I promise."

"Only adults can have babies Lucy. And only a man and a woman who are in love with each other can have a baby," she lied.

"Well, you and Daddy can have a baby then!" she happily declared.

"We can...but that doesn't mean that we will Lucy."

"But don't you want a baby too?" Lucy questioned.

"I don't know Lucy," she answered truthfully. "And it's not just about what I want, but it's what Daddy wants too."

"Oh," Lucy sighed. "Well can you ask Daddy if we can get another baby? I really want one Mama, and I'll be a really good girl. I swear."

"I know Luce, and you are a good girl. All right, how's this? I will_ talk_ to Daddy. But there are no promises. Understand?"

"Yes Mama, thank you thank you thank you!" Lucy excitedly squealed.

Natasha quickly shushed her daughter. "Okay, calm down—you'll wake your brother up. And it's past your bedtime," Natasha rose from the bed and placed a tender kiss on her daughter's forehead. "It's time for sleep. Goodnight, I love you."

"Night Mama!" Lucy said, the excitement evident in her voice.

* * *

Once she was sure that James and Lucy were both sound asleep, Natasha made her way into her own bedroom.

"There's my girl," Steve said with a sort of half-smile on his face. He emerged from the bathroom in a white undershirt and gray sweatpants. He approached his wife and pulled her in for a hug. Steve then went to kiss her, but she turned a cheek to him.

"Not so fast there Steve. You have some explaining to do," she began.

"I knew that I wouldn't get off this easy." Natasha sat down on the bed and motioned for Steve to sit down next to her. When he complied, she started up the conversation. "Why did you tell Lucy to ask _me _where babies come from?"

"I don't know Nat. I wasn't sure what you wanted to tell her. And I also panicked. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

Natasha let out a long sigh. "It's okay Steve. And in case you were wondering, I told her that when a married couple wants a baby, they pray to God and then God puts a baby in the mother's stomach."

"Thank you," he whispered quietly. He wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her form into his lap. She didn't resist this time. "Now, why don't you tell me what's really bothering you?"

"Have either of the kids asked you why we've never had another baby?"

"Maybe once or twice, but they dropped it right away," he replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I asked Lucy why she wanted to know where babies come from, and she said that she and James really want a little sibling," she said.

"Okay. And what do you think about all this?"

"I don't know Steve. I mean, they're five already and the world isn't exactly the safest place. Another kid just means that we have more to lose if...we don't come back," she quietly said.

"I know. And we've never seriously talked about having another one before."

"How do you feel?"

"Come on Nat, you know that I would love another child. But it's not just up to me, it's your decision too. You're the one who would have to stop going on missions and all. I know that it's a huge sacrifice," he said gently.

"You really want another?" she questioned, surprised that he had already thought about it before without bringing it up to her.

"Of course I do. How could I not? I have the greatest, prettiest wife who happens to be the best mother ever to my children. James and Lucy are gorgeous because you made them. Natasha you're perfect in every sense of the word, and you've given me a perfect life."

"Well...you're not too bad yourself," she said playfully despite the sudden wave of emotions that had overcome her.

"And I have thought about it, and I really do want another baby. So will you think about it? For me?"

"Of course I will Steve. I'm not saying that it's going to happen, but I will consider it."

"That's all I ask. And who knows what will happen next?"


	12. First Love

**A/N:** Where have I been? I know, I haven't updated in forever, and for this I profusely apologize. Therefore, I would like to thank everyone who continues to read my writing, you guys are awesome! Lastly, I wanted to say that I may write a sequel chapter to my previous chapter, but I'm not sure where I want to take that story yet (thoughts?). Anyway, I've gone on long enough. I hope everyone enjoys this fluffy chapter!

* * *

"Okay guys, I think it's time for bed," Steve mused quietly to himself. Natasha had fallen asleep on the living room couch hours ago, and he had been preoccupying their children on the floor. For once, Lucy was being cooperative—the eight month old had fallen asleep in his arms. On the other hand, James was still wide-awake and playing happily with his stuffed monkey. "James," Steve tried to gain his attention. The baby looked at his father and smiled. "Hey, Buddy, it's sleep time. Let's go night-night."

Steve stood up carefully, not wanting to wake up Lucy; that would bring all kinds of trouble. Once he had her settled in the crook of his arm, he then scooped up James into his other arm. Almost immediately, James twisted his body around to look at Natasha. "Say bye-bye to Mama James," Steve whispered. Upon command, James gave a small wave to his mother; but Steve didn't miss the concerned look on his son's face.

As quietly as possible, Steve entered his daughter's room first. He gently placed Lucy in her crib, letting out a sigh of relief when she stayed asleep. Steve closed the door to Lucy's room and moved into James' room next door. The baby had gotten more of his dinner on himself than in his mouth, so Steve laid him down on the changing table and changed him into a pair of striped blue pajamas. Steve had to admit, James looked adorable, even in pajamas.

"Okay James, it's time for bed," Steve whispered to his son—bright blue eyes staring back up at him.

"Sleep?" James questioned.

"Yes James, sleep. That's very good," Steve praised. The soldier walked over to the white crib and gently laid his son down. James immediately stood back up. However, Steve ignored it. Usually, James and Lucy would sleep through the night. Natasha was insistent that the twins be Ferberized, and it worked out really well in the end. Nonetheless, it was extremely hard for Steve to follow through with the method; the thought of leaving one of his children alone and crying pained him.

"Mama?" James questioned eagerly.

"No, James, it's bed time. Night-night," Steve couldn't help but give one last look at his son's sad face as he left the room and shut the door behind him.

He soundlessly returned to the living room where Natasha was still sound asleep. She had been on a mission for the past five days and was exhausted. Steve took a moment to observe her. Her breathing was steady and even, and he admired the innocent look on her face. Even in her sleep, Natasha fascinated him. Steve brought himself back to reality a moment later, but he didn't have the heart to wake her. He carefully leaned over her and picked her up bridal style. Much to Steve's astonishment, she didn't wake up. _She must be exhausted_, he thought to himself. Natasha stirred and snuggled into Steve's side as he carried her to their bedroom. She was so delicate in his strong arms, and he didn't ever want to let her go.

He moved over to their bed and debated holding her for a while longer. He decided against it, but only because he knew that she was in desperate need of a good night's sleep. He gently laid her down on the mattress and pulled the covers up to her shoulders. Next, he climbed in bed next to her. Without warning, Natasha turned over on her side to face Steve.

"Steve how—" she said groggily, waking up.

"Shh, it's okay I brought you to bed," he couldn't help wrapping his arms around her. The feeling of her body against his was familiar, and he always slept better protecting her.

Natasha didn't protest, she snuggled into her husband and dozed off once again.

* * *

Steve awoke abruptly a short forty minutes later. He immediately recognized his son's cries flowing through the baby monitor on the nightstand. Evidently, the screams had waked Natasha too because she was no longer in his arms. It sounded as though James had been awake the entire time, so Steve and Natasha agreed to go to him.

Steve groaned audibly. "I've got him Steve," Natasha said as she started to get up from the bed.

"No, you stay here. I'll get him. It's weird though, he hasn't done this in weeks," Steve insisted, getting out of bed.

"Maybe he's sick or something," Natasha said quietly. Her eyelids were starting to droop.

"I'll take care of it Nat. Please go back to bed and get some sleep," he persisted.

"Mmhmm," she didn't argue. She was _really_ tired, after all.

* * *

"Hey Buddy, what's the matter?" Steve questioned as he entered his son's room. James was standing up in his crib, gripping the railing, and screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Daddy!" James said through his cries, reaching both arms up to his father.

"Alright, come here you," Steve lifted James into his arms and began rubbing his back in circles. He was trying to get James to stop screaming—he didn't want him to wake up Lucy or Natasha. "What's wrong James?" Steve mouthed as he sat down in the rocking chair with James in his arms. The soldier felt his son's forehead for any signs of an illness but found none. James continued to look up at his father, wide-awake.

Steve sighed audibly. It was 4:00 in the morning, and Natasha hopefully wouldn't be up for another three hours. "Okay James, since you're up, I need you to help me with something for your Mama. Do you think you can handle it?" Steve questioned seriously, fully aware that the baby had no idea what he was saying.

"Mama?" James questioned.

"Yeah, that's right. All right, come on little man. Might as well get a jump on things."

* * *

Natasha awoke to cries for Mama and the smell of coffee at six in the morning. She was slightly startled that Steve was no longer next to her, but then remembered that he was up early to take care of James.

Begrudgingly, Natasha sat up in bed. She pulled her loose curls into a messy bun before padding down the hallway to her daughter's room. Lucy was sitting down in her crib, calling for her mother.

Natasha snuck up to the crib, and popped up, asking, "where's my Lucy?"

The baby smiled and clapped her hands upon seeing her mother. Natasha couldn't help the smile that came across her face. She would have never thought this possible in her previous life. She loved being a mother, and she loved being loved by Steve and her children.

The spy easily lifted her daughter into her arms, and headed off to the living room to find Steve and James. "Mama, sun," Lucy exclaimed as she pointed out the hallway window.

"Yes, that's very good Luce," Natasha quickly kissed her daughter's head. "Now come on, let's go find the boys."

* * *

Natasha passed the living room without a trace of Steve. She moved on into the kitchen where she found James babbling happily to himself in his highchair. She walked over and put Lucy in the high chair next to James'. If the baby was here, then Steve couldn't be far.

She was about to call for him when she realized that James was holding something in his tiny hands. "James? What do you have there honey?"

The baby thrust his hands out towards Natasha. In them, he clutched a teal blue jewelry box with a white satin ribbon tied around it. Natasha lightly took the box from James and unfolded the note that was attached to it.

_Nat,_

_ Happy anniversary! And before you flip out—I know it's not our wedding anniversary, but to me this day is just as important. Seven years ago today, you came into my life and changed it forever. I love you more than I thought was ever possible, and I love the life we have built together. I know this past year hasn't been an easy adjustment, so I just wanted to thank you for everything. Thank you for being my wife, tolerating me, and the thousand I love you's that I will never get tired of hearing. Thank you for being you—smart, beautiful, deadly, and sexy you. And most importantly, thank you for James and Lucy. You have given me everything that I have ever wanted, and I will be eternally grateful. I love you, Nat, and I don't know where I'd be today if I hadn't met you today, seven years ago._

_Love always and forever,_

_Steve_

_P.S. Wear these and think of us when you're feeling alone. Remember that we're always close to your heart._

Natasha began to tear up at the letter despite her efforts not to. She sat down at the kitchen table before undoing the ribbon around the _Tiffany &amp; Co. _ box. She slid the lid off the box, and pulled out Steve's dog tags on their chain. He had told her that he had lost them a few moths ago—she used to wear them whenever she went away on missions.

"Do you like them?" Steve questioned from the kitchen doorway. Natasha was confused at first, but soon realized the two new silver rings slid onto the chain. The rings hung next to the tags, the first one engraved with _JSR 06.18.14 4:42_ around it, and the second one was engraved with _LMNR 06.18.14 4:48_. Each ring had the initials, birthday, and time of birth of their children.

Natasha stood and put the chain around her neck, letting Steve's tags and her children's rings lay over her chest. "Steve," she said breathlessly as she approached him. "I love them."

Steve cupped her face and leaned in for a tender kiss. "And I'm impressed," she said slyly. "You lied about losing the tags and I didn't pick up on it. I think I'm losing my touch," she smiled.

Steve chuckled softly. "Well, I guess I've learned a thing or two from you. And I'm glad you like them."

"Steve, you didn't have to. I didn't even think to get you anything, and—"

Steve cut her off. "Stop. I wanted to do this for you. I know you've been doing a lot lately, and I wanted to let you know that I, that _we_, appreciate it. I love you so much, and I never want you to feel alone."

"I know I'm not alone. Not anymore," Natasha leaned in again for another passionate kiss.

The couple was rudely interrupted by James screaming "food?" The two just laughed it off and wondered, certainly not for the first time, how this became their life.


	13. Daddy, Come On!

"Daddy, are you done yet?" a four-year-old Lucy Rogers asked her father impatiently. "Mama and I are waiting," she pressed.

"Almost ready Lucy. Give me a minute," Steve trailed off.

Lucy let out a sigh and marched back into the living room of the communal floor at the Tower. Lucy had for sure inherited her mother's impatience, and was clearly demonstrating that today.

"Daddy says he'll be ready in a minute," Lucy announced dramatically to her mother and James. It was Sunday—Easter Sunday to be specific, and Steve had requested that their whole "family" go to Easter mass at his old church in Brooklyn.

"Okay Lucy. Don't worry, we have plenty of time to get there," Natasha stated calmly. Naturally, she wasn't religious herself, but she was doing this for Steve. And for the fact that he wanted to raise the kids with Catholic influence and values.

Steve had helped her out by getting James ready, and now was running slightly late by getting himself ready. Natasha couldn't deny it though; her kids looked adorable. Lucy had on an ivory lace dress that had pink fabric underneath and a matching pink sash. She even had a matching sun hat and little purse. Her crimson curls fell loose, just past her shoulders. James, on the other hand, had on a navy suit with a pink shirt and tie to match his sister's dress. Natasha now understood what people mean when they claimed that they could eat their kids up.

Lucy sighed and flopped back dramatically onto the couch.

"Don't do that Lucy, you'll wrinkle you dress," Natasha scolded. The little girl stood up reluctantly and straightened out her clothing.

The sound of the elevator arriving on the communal floor grabbed Lucy and James's attention. The doors slid open to reveal Tony, Pepper, Bruce, Clint, Thor, and Jane. Lucy immediately ran past Tony and into Clint, James close behind her.

"Hey munchkin, I think you missed me," Tony stepped aside as he addressed Lucy. The redhead finished greeting Clint and moved to Tony.

"Hi Uncle Tony," she said sheepishly as the billionaire scooped her up and began to tickle her.

"Hi Aunt Pepper," James said quietly as he moved to greet his aunt.

"Hello sweeties," she replied as she bent down to hug her nephew. "You two both look so cute!"

"What do you say?" Steve asked as he entered the room.

"Thank you!" James and Lucy said in unison, polite as always.

Lucy squirmed out of Tony's grip and ran over to her father. "Come on Daddy, we have to go pray!" she insisted. Lucy took Steve's large hand in his own, and dragged him towards the elevator. Natasha took James by the hand, and the entire "family" squished into the elevator. Steve gave Natasha a knowing look as they stood next to each other on the ride to the lobby.

Natasha had on a spaghetti-strap dress that fell just above her knees. It was black, tight at the top, and had a floral print on it. Steve leaned over to her and whispered, "You look hot babe." He almost blushed at his own remark.

"Ew! Daddy, I heard that," James commented. Steve ignored the comment and pecked his wife on the lips as the elevator came to a stop in the lobby.

"Come on guys, we have to go see Jesus!" Lucy insisted as she led the group to the waiting car.

* * *

_Happy Easter!_


	14. Are We Clear?

**A/N:** This chapter is for a Guest's request below. I'm not great at writing James and Lucy as teenagers, so try to bear with me. Enjoy!

_Can you write a story about James and Lucy as teenager and they have to deal with love, sex, and something like that? Or maybe you can write about Lucy tell Nat that she lost her V card and it make Steve and her twin brother freak out._

* * *

One of the major downsides of being a twin was that Lucy had to share a car with her brother. It's not like her parent's couldn't _afford_ to buy two cars, they were Avengers for Christ sake. And her Uncle Tony had offered to buy her a car on more than one occasion.

It's just that her Dad was so darn adamant about her sharing with James. "You need to learn how to compromise," he said. "You're not just going to have things handed to you," he continued. Gosh, how she hated being a twin sometimes.

Of course, she loved James more than anything—but sometimes he was just too _good_. Too much like their father, she supposed. He refused to go to parties with her, or even just skip class. And it's not because he's a hermit or anything. He's an attractive eighteen-year-old. However, he hadn't really lost his shy nature, and has remained a do-gooder.

Anyway.

That was the premise of their current argument.

"Come on James, can I _please_ use the car tonight. I really need to meet a friend at a party," Lucy pleased.

"It's my night for the car Lucy." James held his ground; arms crossed over his broad chest as they continued to argue in the kitchen. James hadn't changed much as far as his looks concerned. He still looked exactly like his father—blond hair, blue eyes, and deep voice. Like Steve, he was also managed to be muscular and slim at the same time. "Besides, I actually have dinner plans with Charlotte," he smiled proudly.

Charlotte was James' girlfriend. It took the entire family by surprise when James told them about her last month. It's not that James couldn't have a girlfriend; it's just the fact that he's still extremely shy. Charlotte was nice though—and pretty enough. Nonetheless, she still hadn't gained a stamp of approval from Natasha or Lucy, even if Steve wholeheartedly accepted her.

"I don't care about your stupid girlfriend," Lucy mocked. "I have a social status to maintain."

"Is that the only thing that's important to you?" James retorted. "I think that building a relationship with someone who actually cares about you is more important than some meaningless party."

"What would you even know about parties? You've never _been_ to one!" Lucy screamed.

Apparently the twins weren't being as quiet as they thought because Steve and Natasha entered the kitchen to break things up.

"That is _enough _you two," Natasha scolded as she glared at her children. James and Lucy immediately stopped talking and turned to face their parents. Natasha sighed, trying to calm herself down. "Do you think that you can be civilized for ten minutes?" Natasha questioned, hands on her hips. James and Lucy continued to fear their mother whenever they were in trouble. Steve was more lenient with the kids for the most part.

"Yes," James and Lucy replied at the same time.

"Good," Steve stepped in. "Now go wait in the living room, your mother and I need to have a talk with both of you.

"But Dad I have a party to—" Lucy was cut off by her mother.

"_Now _Lucy."

James and Lucy hurried off into the living room, Steve and Natasha right behind them. The twins took a seat next to each other on the couch and awaited their fate.

Steve sighed before he began speaking. "You two need to stop being so ungrateful. There are plenty of people out there that haven't had the advantages that you've had. Most kids your age would love to have a car. Or a nice house in D.C. or a loving family." James and Lucy looked at each other expectantly.

"We're sorry," James spoke up. "We shouldn't argue over such petty things."

"Apology accepted," Natasha confirmed. "But are we clear? I don't want anymore of these little arguments you two seem to be so fond of."

"Yes Mom," Lucy added.

"Alright, now onto the next topic," Steve continued. "And neither of you are leaving until we finish this conversation. If both of you are good, Lucy, you may take the car and James can take my car."

"But first," Natasha got back on track. "We need to have a serious talk. James, you have a girlfriend now. And Lucy, you're going out to parties and both of you are going off to college next year."

"Wait. Mom, is this the two of you trying to give us the talk..." Lucy trailed off.

"Yes," Steve answered despite the redness of his cheeks. "It's very important that you two understand what is proper behavior and what is not."

"Oh, well you don't need to worry about me, Dad," Lucy spoke up.

"And why is that?" Natasha questioned. She was slightly concerned by her daughter's words, but didn't let it show on her face.

"Because," Lucy smiled and her gaze shifted back and forth between her parents. "I already lost my virginity."

"What!?" Steve and James went over to Lucy in an instant.

"Yeah, so I'm not a virgin. What's the big deal?" Lucy asked nonchalantly.

"_Lucy_! Having relations with someone else is a sacred thing. Sex is not something you mess around with, it's not a game," Steve looked mortified.

James, on the other hand, was more interested in the details. "Who was it? I'll go kill him, I swear I will," both Steve and James looked mortified.

"You two haven't learned a thing from me, have you?" Natasha's voice came from seemingly nowhere.

"What are you talking about Nat? This is serious, I don't see what that has to do with—" Steve was cut off by Natasha's eye roll.

"She's _playing you_, Steve. Can't you tell?"

Steve and James looked back to Lucy expectantly. The redhead just shrugged in return. "You guys are just so naïve. I couldn't let this opportunity slip by," Lucy smirked, an expression that was eerily like Natasha's

James let out a sigh of relief. "That wasn't funny Lucy."

"Yes, it was quite hilarious actually. You should've seen your faces," Lucy continued.

"James is right," Steve started. "Don't ever do that to me again young lady," Steve cautioned.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Lucy added dramatically.

"Dad, can we just finish this conversation later? I'm supposed to pick up Charlotte for our dinner and I don't want to be late. And I've already had enough drama for tonight."

"Alright, fine. Go ahead guys. But you both better be back home by curfew," Steve allowed.

Once both kids were out the door, Steve embraced Natasha. He hugged her and she laid her head on his chest. "What are we going to do with them, Steve?" Natasha asked quietly.

"Not sure yet. But I still think that we need to get Lucy tested."


	15. Dance With Me

**A/N: **Sorry for not updating quicker! I was at an intentional business competition in Orlando all last week, and I have been super busy with AP tests. This is only a short update that centers around Steve and Natasha, but I hope everyone enjoys it!

* * *

*Flashback*

She welcomed the dull burning of her muscles eagerly. A life full of pain; a life full of suffering seemed to magically disappear. The soft notes cascaded through the air as she allowed herself to be consumed by them. This, all of it, had been the one constant in her miserable life so far. She counted off in her head, her effortless movements timed perfectly to match the music. Her eyelids slid shut over sparkling green eyes; her toes screamed in pain as she flexed them, moving across the empty room. In that moment, nothing else mattered; it was just her and the music. The painful tranquility seeped down into her bones and crept into her soul—if she even had one left.

As the notes came to an end, she stopped. She looked at her reflection in the mirrored wall—panting, red hair disheveled, and unnatural tears threatening to spill.

"You dance beautifully," an unwelcomed compliment came from the doorway.

"What...why?" she stammered, unable to form a coherent question.

"I got home from my mission early. Don't worry; I'm the only one here.

"Jesus Steve, I didn't even hear you. Did you...How much did you see?"

"Enough. I didn't know that you dance ballet," he entered the room, softly closing the door behind him.

"Yeah, well it's the one thing in my life, the one thing that...they let me cling to."

"Well you're incredible," he wasn't sure if he was talking about her dancing or her as a whole. And suddenly he was coming towards her, closing the space between them.

"Thanks, I guess. But if you tell _anyone _I won't hesitate to kill you in your sleep. And that's a promise," she threatened quietly, maliciously as her eyes locked in on his.

"Oh, I don't doubt that," he whispered back. And before he knew what he was doing, his hand was lightly grasped around her wrist.

She really didn't know what all of this was. The way her heart sped up when they were around each other. The way she would catch herself staring at him for just a second too long. All these things were building up inside her for the past eight months, and she was ready to explode.

"Natasha...you're crying."

And without fully realizing it, she inched herself closer to him. Her wrist still encircled within his hand, she tilted her chin up until their faces were aligned. She arched an eyebrow and shifted her eyes up to him. "Kiss me."

He relished in the warm, tangy scent of her breath on his face. Without hesitating, he leaned in and lightly pressed his lips against hers. She tasted sweet and warm and like nobody else. If it came down to it, he could live off the taste of her without ever getting bored.

Too quickly were they broken apart, their noses lingering together—her hands still on the sides of his face. "What's wrong with me?" she began quietly. "Why am I experiencing these—feelings that I shouldn't be having?"

"Who ever said that you shouldn't have this—whatever we are? I don't care what they told you, you're the most human person I've ever met. The feelings are more than mutual," he paused. "God, Natasha, these feelings—I have them too. I don't know what it is, but I can't get you out of my head. I don't mean to be forward, but I want you. I want you, and your personality, and your beauty more than I've wanted anything in a _very_ long time. And you're lying if you say that you don't feel the same electricity that I do every time I see you, every time I touch you. I've had you stuck on my mind ever since that day on the escalator. And I'm not letting you get away. Not this time."

"Steve, I don't. I don't know what to say," she responded. They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. "I don't know how to put my feelings into words—I've never been very good at that. But do you think that I could maybe kiss you again?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I was counting on it," he replied as he pressed his lips into hers, the two seamlessly interlocking. And, yes, it may have only been their third kiss, but Steve knew that he would never again let go. He was determined to die with the taste of Natasha upon his lips.

*End Flashback*


	16. Bye Bye Bikinis

Based on the Steve/Natasha hospital scene from CATWS

* * *

"Mama, how do you spell baseball?" a four-year-old James asked his mother innocently. He had been sitting on the floor of their living room, coloring in his book. Meanwhile, Natasha had been sitting on the couch, trying to (unsuccessfully) read a book. She kept getting distracted by her son. Just watching him color put a smile on her face. James was drawing a picture of himself and Steve having a catch on their front lawn. He had been very invested in his creation—his little brow creased in concentration in a way that made him look exactly like his father.

"B-a-s-e-b-a-l-l," Natasha spelled out slowly for her son as he wrote it in his blocky, four-year-old handwriting. Natasha held back a laugh as James wrote his "S" backwards. He smiled proudly and inspected his finished picture.

"Do you like it Mama? It's Daddy and me!" James asked excitedly, launching himself at his mother and holding out the picture for her to see.

"It's beautiful, baby. But where are Lucy and I?"

"It's a boys only picture," James stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And Daddy plays with me and this is for him."

"Well I know he's going to love it," Natasha smiled, poking her son in the stomach to make him react. James squealed happily. Everything about her son reminded Natasha of Steve—from his clear blue eyes to his budding artistic abilities, everything about James was his father. The only thing of herself that she saw in James was the fact that he was left-handed.

Steve had gone to the Tower in New York for the weekend, and Lucy had _begged_ him to let her come. Steve couldn't deny her pleading (he's a sucker for his daughter's antics), and agreed to bring her along. That left Natasha and James alone for the weekend.

The small boy put his picture neatly on the coffee table before climbing into Natasha's lap. She knew all too well that James' innocence and attachment to her wouldn't last forever, so she cherished every moment with him that she could get. "Can we have cuddle time Mama?" James asked sweetly.

Natasha's heart would've melted if it could have. "Of course we can, мальчик. But first, we're going to eat dinner, and then, a certain little boy needs a bath."

"No Mama!" James said with a crooked grin. "I don't want a bath!"

"Sorry James. No cuddles until you get cleaned up," Natasha almost scoffed at how sappy she sounded. The _only_ time she would allow this to happen was if she was alone, or with Steve.

James considered his options for a moment before sighing. "Okay."

"What do you want for dinner?"

"Pizza!" James half-shouted (pizza was their Friday night ritual). "Because I only like it when Daddy cooks."

"That's not very nice, mister," Natasha stood with James in her arms, tickling him. "Come on, I'll order pizza while we fill up the tub."

* * *

Getting James to peacefully take a bath was (usually) not an easy feat. However, he decided to be cooperative tonight. Therefore, it only took Natasha an hour to bathe James and get his pajamas on. Okay, she may have drug it out a little. Watching James play with his little boats and bath toys was just too amusing to pass up on. She even joined in playing with him, only upon his request, of course. She helped him search for buried treasure, find pirates, and fend off bad guys among other things. If Natasha was being completely honest with herself, she had fun playing with her son. His imagination and innocence reminded her of the childhood that she never had, and she was beyond thrilled that she was playing a part in giving her son what she missed out on.

After their bath (Natasha wound up getting soaked as well), Natasha dressed James in a pair of green dinosaur pajamas.

"Can we eat now Mama?" he asked, adding in a "please" as he remembered his manners.

"Of course," Natasha smiled and ruffled his still-wet hair. "Let's go have some pizza."

* * *

After their relatively quiet dinner, Natasha got James settled on the couch under his Buzz Lightyear blanket. His little body barely took up one cushion, so she sat down on the other side of the couch. Unsurprisingly, he soon crawled into her lap and snuggled up against her.

"Is this cuddle time?" Natasha asked. James nodded his head yes. "What do you want to watch?"

"Can we watch Daddy's channel?" James asked tiredly, and Natasha suspected that it wouldn't be long before he crashed.

"Sure, if that's what you want," Natasha wrapped her arm around James and switched the channel. The History Channel—Steve's favorite channel—was recognized by James and Lucy as "Daddy's channel". Surprisingly, the twins enjoyed watching documentaries with their father, and James always wanted to follow in his father's footsteps.

Natasha spread out along the couch, laying James down on top of her. Accidentally, the hem of her tank top rode up. Evidently, James wasn't as tired as Natasha suspected, for he quickly asked her a question.

"What's that, Mama?" his little hand was resting over the rigid mark on the left side of her abdomen.

Natasha sighed, "that's a scar, мальчик."

"A scar?" James asked, obviously confused.

"Yes. A scar is something that people get when they've been hurt," she tried to put it in simple terms for the sake of her son.

"But Daddy doesn't have a scar," James stated. Natasha hated every second of this. James' innocence played into one of her biggest insecurities. How does one explain Red Room treatments, super soldier serums, and a Russian assassin's ploy to a four-year-old?

"Well, Daddy is different. When people get hurt or cut badly, or they need an operation, sometimes the cut heals like this," she pointed to the prominent scar James seemed to be so fascinated with.

"_...he shot him through me. Soviet slug. No rifling."_

"Sometimes," she continued, anticipating more questions. "Scars are tiny or you can't see them very well. You have a scar too, James."

"I do?" he asked a little too excitedly for her liking.

"Yes. It's right here," she pointed to a spot just about his right eye. "But you don't remember when you got hurt and why you have a scar—you were just a baby. Your scar is small, so people don't really notice it. Mama has more than one scar. And this one," she once again motioned to the scar (that James was feeling with his finger), "is a big scar and it's not very pretty."

"_Bye bye bikinis"_

"I like it Mama," James said, still fascinated by the rough piece of scar tissue. "We match and it makes you look pretty."

Natasha was amazed. She was amazed, and relieved, and so, so enchanted by her son all at once. Natasha's scars were one of the main insecurities she had with herself. They symbolized her past—so much pain and destruction. Of course, Steve had made her feel better about herself and her markings, but that insecurity would always remain. Natasha's scars were like her secrets, and she rarely shared. The only people that knew about most of them (and where they came from) were Clint and her husband. To hear reassurance that her son loved her, and her scars, was overwhelming. His declaration represented all that is good and pure about him.

"Thank you so much, мальчик," Natasha lightly kissed the top of James' head.

"I want more scars so I can be like you Mama," James declared innocently.

Natasha gave him a small smile, "No you don't James. Just be careful for me, okay? And for Daddy, too. We love you so much, and we never want to see anything happen to you or your sister. Okay?" Natasha wasn't sure if her four-year-old actually understood her or not, but it was worth a shot.

"Okay Mama. But can we watch now? I want to tell Daddy what he's missing."


	17. Everything's Fine

**A/N: **I'm so sorry for taking so long to update! Life just got in the way, and things have been crazy busy with me. I hope that everyone enjoys this update, and I will (hopefully) have more time to write over the summer!

* * *

"Mama?" James looked up at Clint expectantly.

"Sorry, buddy, Mama and Daddy aren't home yet. I thought we already went over this," Clint tried to make his ten-month old "nephew" understand.

"Daddy?" Now it was Lucy's turn to ask. "Mama" and "Daddy" were about the only words that the twins could say thus far. Of course, this didn't help when Steve and Natasha were actually away.

"You two just like to torture me, don't you?" At that, Lucy smiled as if she actually knew what he was saying. "You're already too much like your mother, kid."

"Mama," Lucy said loudly.

Clint sighed. Steve and Natasha had been away on a mission for the last three days. They had asked Clint to come to their house in D.C. to watch James and Lucy. Of course he'd said yes. He loved spending time with his niece and nephew, but man kids are _exhausting_. Thankfully, Steve and Natasha were coming home this afternoon.

However, it was only 5:00 in the morning (damn, little kids get up early), so he still had a while to go.

"How about it guys? Are you hungry?" Clint asked, basically to himself. Lucy yawned in reply and James just stared at him blankly. "Tough crowd," Clint murmured. The twins were seated on the living room floor, mesmerized by whatever show was playing on the kids channel. So Clint went about making them breakfast—mashed peas—yuck. The only time he lost sight of the kids was when he turned to retrieve the jars of food from the fridge.

He heard it before he saw it.

_Thunk!_

The sound was hard and unforgiving, a sound that Clint had heard too many times before.

James' screams came next. In the _one second _that Clint had turned his back, James managed to crawl underneath the kitchen table without him noticing. When the baby tried to stand up underneath the table, his head connected with wood. James' pained screams permeated throughout the house as Clint rushed over to him. He pulled James from underneath the table and set him down on the floor to examine the damage.

There was blood _everywhere_. Dripping down James' face, soaking his pajamas and the tile floor. "It's okay James/ It's alright." But Clint knew that it wasn't. Clint couldn't get a good look at James—he was squirming and crying too much—but he could tell that James had hit his head right around his right eye. "Shit," he said to himself as Lucy started to cry as well.

He picked James up, and then moved to pick up Lucy—he didn't need another accident to deal with. He quickly placed Lucy in her playpen before bringing James into the bathroom. Clint then wet a towel and brought it to James' injury to try and stop the bleeding. But the child continued to fuss and cry. Clint gave up pretending to know what he was doing and dug around in his pocket with his free hand until he found his cell phone. He swiftly dialed Bruce's number.

"Bruce!" Clint said when the other man picked up, a touch of relief evident in his voice. "I need your help."

"Clint? You're going to have to speak up, I can't hear you. Is everything okay?"

"Uh, not really," Clint spoke loudly as he tried to get James to stop crying. "James wacked his head on the kitchen table and now he's bleeding _everywhere_. What should I do?"

"Okay Clint," Bruce seemed as calm as ever. "I need you to find a first aid kit."

Clint scrambled around the bathroom until he found the small white box. He put Bruce on speakerphone so he could focus. "Ok, I've got it."

'"Alright. Now find the butterfly stitches. You'll need to put them on the wound to stop the bleeding."

"Okay, give me a minute," Clint easily found what he was looking for. Gently, he laid James down on the shaggy bathroom rug and, using one of his hands, pinned down both of James' tiny hands above the baby's head. "I'm so sorry, buddy," Clint apologized as he applied the butterfly stitches as quickly as he could.

If he thought that James couldn't cry any louder, he was wrong. The baby began to scream bloody murder, causing his sister to scream as well.

"Clint? Can you hear me?" Bruce tried.

"Yeah," the archer shouted. "What do I do now?"

"You need to take him to the hospital at the Triskelion. They need to check and see if he has a concussion or not."

"Okay, I'll take him."

"And one more thing," Bruce started tentatively. "Steve and Natasha got back early—about an hour ago, so I would—"

As if on cue, Clint heard the front door being unlocked and Lucy excitedly cry "Daddy". Clint hung up the phone and tried, unsuccessfully, to get James to quiet down. He braced himself as he heard Natasha approach the bathroom.

"Clint?" she questioned, not yet entering the room. "What the _hell_ is going on? Why is there blood—" Natasha stopped short when she entered the bathroom. Her expression was a mix of horror and disbelief. He was in for it. "Oh my God. Steve!" she shouted and snatched James up into her arms. She briefly examined him before snuggling him up to her chest.

At the sound of Natasha's distressed call, Steve came running down the hallway and froze when he saw his son bleeding on his wife. "Clint, what happened?"

"I just turned away for a second..." Clint was suddenly struggling to find words. "He stood up under the table and hit his head."

Natasha shot him a glare that was positively murderous. "I cannot believe that you—"

"Alright," Steve set a hand on Natasha's shoulder. "We are not going to argue about this right now. Clint, Nat and I are going to take James to the hospital. You stay here and watch Lucy."

Clint simply nodded in response.

"Do not take your eyes off her," Natasha paused to threaten before she and Steve hurried out of the bathroom and back outside.

"Well Lucy," Clint went back into the living room where his niece was watching him curiously. "Your mom is gonna kill me."

* * *

Natasha held a still-crying James tightly to her chest as she and Steve walked quickly into the hospital. She could not _believe_ that that Clint had been stupid enough to turn his back on Lucy and James. Now look what happened. Her innocent baby boy was crying in pain and bleeding over her white shirt.

"Hi," Steve said when they reached the front desk. "Our son hit his head on a table and we can't get the bleeding to stop."

"Okay," the young girl replied. She—Emily, judging by her nametag—pushed a few buttons on the phone and murmured something that both Steve and Natasha were too tired to pick up on.

A minute later, a young doctor came out and introduced herself as Dr. Bloom. "You two can come back to the room with us," she said, referring to Steve and Natasha. "I think it'd be easier if you, Mrs. Rogers, held him while I take a look at his head."

Once in the room, Natasha firmly held James on her lap as Dr. Bloom examined him. "Well," she began after a few minutes, "the good thing is that he doesn't have a concussion." Steve and Natasha both let out a sigh of relief. "However, the bad news is that he's going to need some stitches."

Natasha took a deep breath and tried to keep herself calm. Stitches—not ideal, but it could be worse.

Dr. Bloom continued, "right now he's very upset, so I'm going to give him a mild sedative to calm him down. I'm also going to restrain him on a paposse board so I can stitch him up as neatly as possible."

"He's not going to feel anything, is he?" Steve questioned.

"No. I'll numb the area beforehand so he shouldn't feel any pain," the doctor reassured. "Now I'm going to need to take James with me. You can watch through the window, but you can't stay in the room with him."

At that, Natasha looked over at Steve nervously. James had finally stopped crying, but that wouldn't last much longer. Dr. Bloom reached down and took James from Natasha. Predictably, James looked around nervously and his little mouth turned down into a frown.

"Shh, it's okay sweetheart," Natasha reassured her son as she and Steve walked behind him and Dr. Bloom. The doctor and James entered a separate room, leaving Steve and Natasha to watch on helplessly from behind a Plexiglas window. For Natasha, even more painful than having her son taken away from her was hearing him cry for "Mama" and "Daddy". She watched on powerlessly as they strapped James onto the papoose board so he was basically in a straight jacket.

Natasha turned away as the started to sew up James. His painful cries ripped her heart into pieces. "I can't watch this, Steve."

"Nat, it's alright. He's going to be fine—"

"It's not just that. I can't believe that Clint was so careless and he let this happen."

"Look," Steve turned Natasha to face him. "It's not Clint's fault; it's not anyone's fault. Accidents happen, and, yes, they're unfortunate, but we have to make the best of a bad situation."

Natasha sighed as Steve brought his strong arms around her. "Am I a bad mother?" she questioned quietly, letting Steve see her vulnerable side.

"What? Why would you ever think that, Natasha?" Steve asked, shocked. "You're an incredible mother." He sighed and held her tighter. "You're doing great—don't let this make you think otherwise."

Steve and Natasha quickly broke apart as Dr. Bloom reentered the room with James. The baby smiled at the sight of his parents and reached his arms out to Natasha. Natasha gladly accepted James into her arms, and didn't hesitate to kiss the top of his blond head.

"He handled everything like a champ," Dr. Bloom smiled. "You just have to finish some paperwork, and then you're free to go home."

"I'll take care of it," Steve assured. "Let's get out of here and go home."

* * *

Clint stood up with Lucy in his arms when Natasha, Steve, and James entered the living room. "Is he okay?" the archer questioned nervously.

"He's fine Clint, just needed a couple of stitches," Steve said as he took Lucy from Clint. He then moved to carefully take a sleeping James from Natasha. "I'm going to try and put them down for a nap." Steve disappeared down the hallway, leaving Clint and Natasha alone in the living room.

"Nat," Clint sighed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean—"

Natasha cut Clint off with a wave of her hand. "It's okay Clint. I know that it was an accident, and I know that you would never let James get hurt if you could help it."

Clint sighed in relief and hugged Natasha. "Thanks. But I still feel bad for the little guy. You sure he's alright?"

"Yeah, he's alright. He _is_ Captain America's son, after all."

"More than that," Clint said. "He's _your_ son too."

"Yeah, he is," Natasha pulled out of his embrace with a smile. "But if you ever pull that shit again, I won't be as forgiving," she said in a joking yet serious tone.

"I don't doubt that you will come up with various ways to torture me. I'll be more careful from now on. I promise."

"Good," Natasha brought him back in for another hug. "James is fine, Clint," she actually smiled to herself. "Everything's fine."


	18. Like Mother, Like Daughter

"You're sure that you'll be alright with them?" Natasha questioned as Steve practically shoved her out the front door.

"_Yes_, Nat, we'll be fine. You just go out and enjoy yourself," Steve insisted. Natasha needed a day to herself—that much was obvious. She had been on a particularly strenuous mission with Clint a few days ago, and had come home to rambunctious, mentally and physically exhausting six-year-olds. Needless to say, she needed a day with no responsibilities.

"But—" she started to protest.

"_Steve_, I don't feel right doing this. Dumping the kids on you while I'm out doing whatever."

"Natasha, you could never dump the kids on me, they're mine too, and I want to give you a day to yourself. Trust me, you deserve it," Steve persisted.

"I really don't," she said quietly.

"You really do," Steve countered. "That's why you're going to have a spa day with Pepper," ironically, a moment later, Pepper pulled into their driveway. Well, _Happy_ pulled into the driveway, to be more specific.

"Steve, this is completely unnecessary."

"I know. But I _want_ this for you. So please, go out and enjoy yourself; for me," he added. "I'll hold down the fort here," now he really was herding her out the door.

"Okay, _okay_, fine," she relented with a smirk. "But if anything, and I mean anything happens, you better call me. And don't destroy my house."

"Yes, ma'am. Now go," Steve flashed her a confident smile as she got in the car and he closed the front door.

It wasn't that Natasha didn't trust Steve alone with their kids. No, it wasn't the fact that he usually gave him the benefit of the doubt. Natasha knew that when she wasn't around, Steve had a tendency to let things slide; especially with his daughter. Lucy knew just how to play him, and James always seemed to have the perfect excuse.

"I can practically hear you worrying," Pepper interrupted Natasha's thoughts without even looking up from her phone.

"I'm trying, okay?" the other woman paused before muttering "no promises" under her breath.

* * *

"Hi, Daddy," Lucy said sweetly as she entered the living room. Steve was seated on the sofa, intently focused on finishing a last mission report. "Can you play with me, please?"

"Hey sweetheart," Steve looked up with a smile for his daughter. "I would love to play with you, but I can't until I finish this last thing for work. Why don't you go ask James to play with you until I'm done?"

Lucy sighed audibly to show her discontent. "Fine. But we need to play when you're done." Lucy turned and ran off down the hall before Steve even had a chance to reply. She then flung the door to James' room wide open. The blond boy was lying on his bed, happily reading a book about dinosaurs. "James, will you play dolls with me?" Lucy asked, causing James to look up from his books.

"I don't want to play dolls," he replied casually, returning to his reading.

Lucy climbed up onto his bed and nearly tackled him. "_Please_ James. We can play dinosaurs too."

"Lucy, I said _no_. I don't want to play with you," James guided his sister off the bed. "Now, leave me alone. Please."

Lucy pouted before muttering a "whatever" and storming off into her own room.

* * *

Steve smiled as he shut off his tablet. _Done_, he said to himself. Now he could spend he rest of the day with his children.

"Daddy?" a bleary-eyed Lucy stood into the entrance to the living room.

"Lucy?" Steve stood, concerned. "What's wrong, baby?" Lucy ran into her father, attaching himself to his leg—tears rolling down her little face. "Lucy, what's the matter?" Steve holstered her up before sitting back down on the couch, her in his lap.

She buried her head into his chest before speaking. "James did something mean to me."

"Oh yeah?" Steve questioned. "What did he do?"

"He put gum in my hair," Lucy sobbed before pointing to a pink clump of gum that seemed to be stuck in her strawberry-blond hair.

Steve quickly sat up straight. "He did _what_?" he questioned in disbelief.

Lucy nodded into his chest and let out another sob. "Daddy, can you _fix _it," she looked up at her father with big, sad eyes.

She sounded so innocent and helpless to Steve. And he absolutely _hated_ to see her cry. "It's okay, baby, Daddy's going to fix it. But I want to go talk to your brother first. Can you wait here for a few minutes?" Lucy nodded and Steve left her on the couch and soon entered James' room. "James," he announced sternly. James looked up at his father with questioning eyes. "Do you have something that you want to tell me?"

"Uh, no, Daddy," James said, obviously confused.

"Really? Nothing?" James shook his head no. "Nothing like, I don't know, putting gum in your sister's hair?"

"What?" James stood up. "I didn't do that!"

"So you're saying that Lucy put gum in her own hair?"

"I don't know, but I didn't do it, Daddy. I swear," James replied.

"James, if you're going to lie to me, you can just stay in your room. No electronics, no coming out. Do you understand me?" Steve instructed harshly.

"But Dad—" James retorted.

"No but's. I don't want to hear it. And I don't want to see you out of your room until I say so. Am I being clear?"

"Yes, Daddy," James complied.

"Good. Now, I don't want to hear a peep," Steve added before he turned and left his son's room. Honestly, he _hated_ punishing his kids, but he had to show them that he and Natasha were on the same page; that he wasn't always the good guy and to show them that he wasn't against disciplining them like their mother. He hated it now, but he knows that it's for the best in the long run.

After a long sigh, Steve returned his attention to Lucy in the living room.

"Daddy, can you get it out?" Lucy asked with a pout as she sprung up from the couch.

"I'm going to try, baby. I think I just have to cut it out of your hair."

"No, Daddy!" she squealed. "You can't do that!"

"I don't know how else to get it out, Lucy," Steve tried to reason with her. "Do you know how?"

"_I_ don't know," she stated. "Just Google it or something."

"Where did you learn about Google?"

"Uncle Clint and Uncle Tony," she said matter-of-factly.

"We'll talk about that later. Do you think Uncle Tony knows how to get gum out of hair?"

"Dunno. Can you call him and ask?"

Steve picked up his phone and dialed Tony's number.

"Hey, Capsicle, what's up?" the inventor said when he picked up the phone.

"Hey, Tony. I need your help. I'm in a bit of a...sticky situation over here," Steve decided.

"Okay, what do you need?"

"Well James stuck a wad of gum in Lucy's hair. Do you know how to get it out without cutting it?" Steve tried.

"Shouldn't you be calling your wife about this?" Tony implored.

"No way. I barely got her to go out with Pepper today, and I'm not ruining her day now."

"Okay, hang on," Steve heard static for a minute before Tony came back on the line. "Bruce said to try using peanut butter on the gum to slide it out of her hair."

"And is _that_ going to work?" Steve questioned.

"Does the kid still have curly hair?"

"Uh, yeah," Steve looked over to Lucy's hair and how it fell in near-perfect spirals down her back. "It looks just like Natasha's."

"Okay, well then it might not work," Tony said. "But I would give it a shot."

"Alright, thanks Tony. And if Pepper calls, please don't mention it to her."

"No problem, Cap. Ciao," Tony hung up and Steve turned back to Lucy.

"Come on, sweetie, come sit down in the kitchen."

Lucy sat down in a chair at the table. "What are you doing, Daddy?"

"Uncle Tony said that we could use peanut butter to try and get the gum out of your hair." Lucy raised one red eyebrow at the mention of peanut butter. "I know it sounds crazy, but we're going to try it, okay?"

Lucy sighed in the same way that Natasha did when she felt like she was talking to an imbecile. "Okay, Daddy."

Steve walked over to the pantry and took out a jar of peanut butter. As instructed by Tony, he unscrewed the lid, stuck his fingers in the jar, and smeared the glob of peanut butter on the clump of gum in Lucy's hair. He rubbed it in as well as he could, and tried to slide the gum out of her hair. The gum wouldn't budge.

"_Ow_, Daddy you're hurting me," Lucy complained.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I'm trying to get it out of your hair. It's not working."

Lucy started to cry again. She brought her little hands up to cover her eyes and cried. "I want Mama."

"I know that you want Mama, baby, I know. But she's not here right now, and I'm doing the best that I can," Steve replied. Of course, he wished that Natasha was here, but really, it was his own fault that she wasn't. He sighed loudly. "I'm sorry, Lucy, but I'm gonna have to cut the gum out. The peanut putter isn't working."

"Daddy, _no_," Lucy cried.

Trying not to drag this out, Steve grabbed a pair of kitchen scissors from a nearby drawer. Lucy continued to cry and carry on as he cut the wad of gum out of her hair as carefully as he could. In reality, it didn't look _that _bad. You would only notice it if you were looking closely. "There," Steve remarked. "It's out of your hair now." Lucy just nodded her head and continued to softly cry. "Come on Luce, let's get you cleaned up," Steve lifted Lucy (even if she was just _a little_ too old for it) and carried her off for bath time.

* * *

A short 40 minutes later, Natasha walked through the front door to her house. Unusually, no one was there to greet her. "Steve?" she questioned, walking into the living room.

"Mama!" Lucy came running from her bedroom and plowed into her mother's legs.

"Oomph," Natasha let slide as Lucy ran into her. "Hi, малышка. I see someone already got a bath."

Lucy nodded her head fiercely. "But that's because James put gum in my hair."

Natasha looked from her daughter up to her husband. "James put gum in your hair?"

"Yeah," Lucy started. "And Daddy had to cut it out. He tried to get it out with peanut butter, but it didn't work."

"Alright, Lucy, where's your brother?"

"Daddy made him stay in his room."

"Okay," Natasha shifted her focus to Steve. "I'm going to go talk to him."

* * *

Natasha entered James' room and found him lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "James?"

"Mama," James scurried off his bed and accepted Natasha's hug gratefully.

"You didn't do it, did you?"

"No, Mama, I didn't. Daddy didn't believe me, but I swear that I didn't do it."

"I know you didn't do it," Natasha reassured. "And I'm going to have a serious talk with your sister, don't worry."

"I love you, Mama," James confessed.

God, Natasha loved this little boy more than she ever thought she could. "I love you too, James. So much."

* * *

"Mama, can you tell me a story?" Lucy asked as Natasha was tucking her into bed.

"Sure, Lucy. Once upon a time, there was a little girl with red, curly hair. One day, when her Mama wasn't home, she stuck a piece of gum in her own hair and got her twin brother in trouble."

Lucy looked mortified. "Mama, I didn't I promise—"

Natasha cut her off, "Lucy, are you lying to me? And did you lie to your father earlier?"

Lucy's face fell. Natasha knew she wouldn't keep it up forever. She was half Steve's, after all. Still, Natasha was secretly impressed (not that she'd ever admit that to her daughter). "Yes, I put the gum in my own hair and told Daddy that James did it."

"And why did you do it?"

"Because no one would play with me."

"Lucy," Natasha sighed. "You can't do that. You lied, and your brother suffered because of it."

"I'm sorry, Mama," Lucy spoke softly.

"I don't want to hear it right now. We will discuss this _and_ your punishment tomorrow." Natasha pecked a kiss on Lucy's forehead. "Goodnight."

"Do you still love me, Mama?" Lucy asked tentatively.

"Of course, I love you," Natasha replied. "I could never stop loving you. I'm just upset with you right now," Natasha stood up from the bed. "Now goodnight. And I don't want to hear a peep from you all night," Natasha turned and exited Lucy's room, closing the door behind her.

"How did you know?" Steve asked when Natasha entered their bedroom a minute later.

"I could tell she was guilty by the look on her face."

"Nat, I'm sorry. I should've called you. "I just wanted you to have a nice day."

"I did, Steve," she kissed him softly. "Thank you. And don't worry, you handled everything fine. You might have some making up to do the James, though."

Steve chuckled. "I know. Poor kid."

"Don't beat yourself up. Even though, you know, you got played by a six-year-old," Natasha snickered.

"Well, my six-year-old daughter _is_ very much like her mother," Steve smiled before leaning in to kiss her again.

"Touché, Rogers."


	19. Let Me Be Selfish

"Steve! Let's go; we're going to be late!" Natasha yelled to him from the living room. It was incredible—she could get herself _and_ two four-year-olds ready before Steve finished getting himself ready.

"I'll be there in a minute!" he responded from their bedroom. It was an unusually warm weekend in October and Clint and Laura had invited the Rogers family to their farm for dinner. Natasha had accepted their generous initiation and was anxious to get on the road. Her husband, however, was taking his sweet old time getting ready.

Meanwhile, Natasha's children were waiting patiently on the couch, asking her new questions every ten seconds. She did take a moment to admire how cute they looked, though. She'd dressed James in a blue in green plaid shirt with a pair of dark jeans. She'd also used gel in his blond hair to make it "spikey" among his insistence. Lucy, on the other hand, had on little black leggings with a gray shirt with black polka dots. The shirt was also pleated and had a ballet-pink bow near one of the shoulders. To top it all off, Lucy had on a pink bow headband and pink Converse. Much to Natasha's dismay, her daughter was going through a phase where she wanted everything to be pink. Steve thought this was adorable and endlessly amusing.

"Mama?" James' little voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Is Daddy coming?"

"He's coming, baby, don't worry. He's just being slow," she responded.

"Will Cooper and Lila be at Uncle Clint's?" now it was Lucy's turn.

"Yes, they will. And Nathaniel too." Lucy's smile grew wider at Natasha's answer.

"Can I play with him?" Lucy continued enthusiastically.

"I'm sure Aunt Laura will let you play with the baby Lucy." Natasha turned back to the bedroom, "Steve, if you don't get your as—butt out here in the next 60 seconds I'm leaving without you!"

The twins laughed at that—Mama yelling at Daddy. Steve came running down the hallway a few seconds later. "I'm sorry, I'm ready now," he explained, obviously flustered.

"Daddy you're _so _slow," Lucy giggled.

"Yeah, we were waiting," James joined in.

"Hey," Natasha turned around to face her kids. "That's enough from you two," she lightly chided. "Now come on, get in the car. I don't want to be late because of this," she smirked.

* * *

Thanks to Steve's quick driving (and Natasha's persistence), they were back on track in no time. They were an hour and a half into the two-hour drive, and the kids were starting to get antsy. Therefore, they were repeatedly asking every toddler's favorite question.

"Are we there yet?" James sighed dramatically.

Oh yeah, he definitely got that from Steve. Natasha turned around in her seat to find huge, blue eyes pleading with her. "No, James, not yet. We still have 30 minutes to go." He sighed again and threw his head back into his car seat. Natasha resisted the urge to laugh at her son being so melodramatic.

The comfortable silence lasted for about five minutes. "How many more minutes are there _now_?" Lucy questioned.

"I have an idea," Steve stated. "If you two can be quiet for the rest of the car ride, Mama and I will get you ice cream." Natasha shot Steve a look that said _seriously?_ "But we'll only get ice cream if _both_ of you stay quiet. Deal?" Steve quickly glanced back at the twins. Both of them nodded in agreement. "Good. We should be at Uncle Clint's house in about 20 minutes. I don't want to hear a peep," Steve concluded using his Captain America tone.

Natasha grabbed Steve's hand and offered him a small smile. She had a hard time admitting it to herself, but she _loved_ it when Steve was firm with their children. Something about it made him seem more commanding and masculine, if that was even possible. Her green eyes glazed over him hungrily; her children were absolutely silent in the backseat. She leaned over, invading her husband's personal space, and quietly whispered in his ear. "I'm going to thank you for that later," she smiled maliciously, making her voice low and sultry.

Steve smiled at that, his eyes momentarily taking on a deeper shade of blue. "Be careful," he whispered back. "I'm going to hold you to that promise."  
Natasha just smirked in response. Thankfully, both James and Lucy remained quiet for the remainder of the car ride. Of course, the second they pulled up to Clint's house, James broke the silence. "We did it, Mama! Now you have to get us ice cream."

"Yes, you guys stayed quiet. Daddy will get us some ice cream on the way home tonight." Natasha momentarily leaned in closer to Steve, "and then Daddy's going to have to control two toddlers on a sugar high." Steve's eyes came to a realization at that.

"Mama, can you help?" James pleaded sadly. He couldn't get the straps of his car seat undone, and his sister was already jumping out of the car (luckily Steve caught her before she got too far).

Natasha couldn't deny him—her baby boy, who was becoming less and less of a baby every day. "Of course, малыш," she swiftly undid the restraints holding James back.

James proceeded to lunge from the car to catch up to Steve and his sister. Before he got there, though, he turned back to Natasha. "Thank you, Mama," he said in a voice that made Natasha's heart melt.

When they reached the house, Laura was there to greet them at the front door. "Hi guys! I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Well thank you for inviting us," Steve courteously responded. In an instant, both Lucy and James had disappeared to go play with Lila and Cooper. The kids all got along nicely, despite the fact that Lila and Cooper were a few years older than the twins.

"You know we love having you," Clint entered the room with a one-year-old Nathaniel in his arms.

"There's my namesake," Natasha said happily at the baby.

"Here, you can take him for me," Clint handed over Nathaniel to Natasha. "Steve and I better put the steaks on the grill, right?"

"Sounds good to me," Steve responded. He gave Natasha a quick peck on the cheek before following Clint outside to the grill. With Clint's permission, Steve began to cook the slabs of meat that were laid out on a tray before them.

The two men cooked in comfortable silence, making small talk occasionally. Steve couldn't help that his gaze kept wandering back to Natasha. More specifically, to Natasha holding Nathaniel. She looked radiant playing with and talking to the baby. Steve felt a pull on his heartstrings as Natasha showed Lucy how to properly hold the baby.

"So, you want another one?" Clint's question interrupted Steve's train of thought.

"What?" the soldier questioned.

"The way you've been looking at Nat with Nathaniel this whole time. It's the look of a man who wants another kid."

"Me? No. We have the twins; they're still little."

"Steve, as much as you don't want to admit it, your kids aren't babies anymore. They just turned four and they'll be 18 before you know it." Steve's face looked to be saddened and a little frightened by that. "I can tell, you miss the days where James and Lucy were babies—the days where Natasha held them like she's holding Nathaniel right now. And you want those days again."

"Am I that obvious?" Steve blushed.

"You're blatantly obvious. You want another baby."

"Yes, I do. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Natasha's so amazing to Lucy and James, but she doesn't realize it," Steve shook his head solemnly. "And I couldn't ask her for that. She's already given me so much—made so many sacrifices."

"Just ask her, will you? You don't know, maybe she wants the same thing. The worst she can do is say no," Clint encouraged.

"I don't know, we'll see." A long moment passed before Steve spoke again, "so what's it like being outnumbered by your kids?"

"Man, I'm not gonna lie, sometimes it really sucks. But at the end of the day, it's incredible; there's so much to love." Steve thought over Clint's words as he turned back to look at his wife holding Clint's baby.

* * *

"Laura, that dinner was great," Steve stated what was on everyone's mind. All of the adults were sitting on the back porch while the kids—minus Nathaniel—were playing in the yard.

"Thanks, Steve," Laura smiled sweetly. "And thank you for helping Clint with the steaks."

"Oh, it's not a big deal. I—" Steve was cut off when Lila ran up to him on the porch, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Uncle Steve," she sniffled, "James tripped me," Lila whined, on the verge of tears.

"He did?" Steve pulled Lila in to face him. "Did he do it on purpose?" Lila shook her head no. "Do you want to go inside and get cleaned up?"

"No, I want to stay here with you."  
"Okay, sweetie, you can stay here if you want to," Steve (quite easily) lifted Lila into his lap so she could sit and talk with the adults.

The conversation picked back up a few minutes later as everyone was enjoying the approaching twilight. "James? Lucy, Cooper? Come on up here and sit with us, it's getting dark out," Natasha stated loudly. Steve would _never_ say as much out loud, but Natasha was very overprotective when it came to their children. He couldn't blame her, though; they knew and saw too much evil to be ignorant to the dangers of the world.

The three kids obediently ran up to the porch where their parents were. Cooper and James immediately began playing with some toy cars that they left on the porch earlier. Lucy, however, clung to Natasha's leg, curiously eying Steve. "What's the matter, baby?"

Lucy's little face fell at her mother's question, and she mumbled something into Natasha's leg.

"What was that, Lucy? I can't understand you when your face is in my leg, honey."

Lucy looked up to meet Natasha's gaze, tears forming in her blue-green eyes. "That's my Daddy," Lucy sobbed, barely audible.

Natasha knelt down to be at her daughter's height. "Of course he is. But he's just helping Lila right now. You can share Daddy, right?"

Lucy shook her head no and ran over to Steve. "You're my Daddy. Lila, that's my Daddy," she stated more boldly. Steve gently nudged Lila off of his lap as Lucy tried her best not to cry. "Daddy, I don't want to share you," Lucy sobbed, losing what little self-control she had left.

Steve's heart broke at his daughter's confession. His brow furrowed as Lucy covered her face with her hands and continued to cry. "Hey, it's okay," Steve lifted his daughter into his lap. "I'm not going anywhere," he comforted.

"I don't want to share you, Daddy," Lucy mumbled into Steve's shoulder.

Steve looked to Natasha. She gave him a sympathetic look and shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, Lucy. Look at me," Steve made sure that his daughter was paying attention before he gently spoke to her. "I love you so much, don't you ever forget that. You and your Mama are the most important girls in my life, and I could never love another little girl more than I love you—you have my whole heart. Okay?" Lucy nodded her head yes and her sobs quieted. Steve dropped a kiss into her strawberry-blond hair and the toddler started to drift off.

"I think that's our cue to leave," Natasha picked up James and settled him on her hip. "Thank you guys so much for having us. Dinner was delicious."

"Are you sure you're okay driving home? We have plenty of room," Laura offered.

"Thank you, Laura," Steve stood up, Lucy in his arms. "But we'll be fine."

* * *

About an hour later, Steve and Natasha were on the road, their two tired, sticky kids in the backseat. Steve had honored his promise and had stopped to get the kids ice cream along the way home. Luckily, the twins were overtired and fell asleep quickly in the car.

"Hey," Natasha covered Steve's hand with her own. "What's up?" she offered him a small smile when he glanced at her.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"That's not what I meant," she spoke softly, mindful of her sleeping kids. "I can see you thinking. You've had something on your mind all day."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "It's nothing. Just a stupid notion of mine."

"Tell me. I want to know."

"No, really. It's embarrassing and frankly it's selfish of me."

"Steve," she sighed gently. "You trust me, right?" He nodded his head. "Then come on. We promised—no secrets."

"Yeah," he sighed. "I just...seeing you today with Nathaniel. It brought back a lot of memories for me."

"Me too," she admitted.

"I miss it, Nat. I know I don't have a right to ask you for any more, and I thought I didn't want it anymore, but now I don't know. They're so big now—James and Lucy. Before we know it they'll be grown and won't need us anymore. Time is moving so fast. And I know it's foolish, but I want to slow it down. I want them to stay little forever," he looked in the rearview mirror at his sleeping children. Steve hesitated before speaking again, "I know I'm being extremely selfish, but I want to have a baby again—another one. I want to see you holding another baby—our baby. But I know I don't have a right to want another baby; I already have more than I will ever deserve. And after the way Lucy reacted to Lila sitting on my lap—I just don't know," he shook his head. "I'm being stupid. I'm sorry."

After a long pause, Natasha finally replied. "You do have a right. To ask. To want." Another pause. "And Lucy can learn to share. So can James."

Steve looked at her in the darkness. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I know. I know how you feel because I feel the same way; I want the same thing."

"Really?"

"Really. I do want another baby. It pains me that my babies aren't babies anymore. And I want another shot at it too."

An enormous smile made its way across Steve's face in the darkness. "So we're going to try for another baby?"

"I guess so," Natasha smiled. "But I'm not sure that it's possible. No one knows how I managed to get pregnant the first time, and they're not sure that I can get pregnant again—I already asked the doctor. We can try, but I don't want you to get your hopes up. It kills me that I can't guarantee you this, but I can't."

"I know, love. I don't want to put any pressure on you. But we can try?"

"No promises. But yes, we can try," Natasha smiled up at her husband.

"Right now? You did promise me as much earlier," Steve asked eagerly.

"I'll make good on that promise," she replied seductively. "As soon as we get home. And after we put our two toddlers to bed."


	20. Stronger

She couldn't remember why she had agreed to this in the first place. It was stupid, really. She wasn't afraid of being out in public like a normal person; public displays of affection just made her uncomfortable. And what made it worse was the fact that Steve was so excited. He had been looking forward to this night for weeks.

All the local politicians in New York were hosting some sort of publicity event. Black tie. Very formal. Very exclusive. And, of course, everyone notable had been invited—including the Avengers. Well, specifically Steve and Tony; those two alone had the power to make this a lucrative evening. Naturally, Steve couldn't say no to the invitation; he'd be helping a lot of people, after all. Also, unsurprisingly, he'd asked her to be his date. They had been "officially" dating for eight months now. Their friends had known about it for five months, and the public had just recently discovered their romantic connection. That was what kept her on edge. Of course, everyone _assumed_ that she was with Steve, but this would give them _proof_.

She couldn't stand it. The whole world knew all of her secrets by now. Did they really need to pry even further into her private and romantic life? That was her other problem. She knew that Steve had never read her file. He didn't know everything about her past or the terrible things she had done. He said he didn't want to read it—that he trusted her to tell him about it when she felt comfortable. God, he was too good for her. Anyway, she was afraid that someone would say something or some tabloid would print something that he didn't know about her. That he was too good for her. How she was a villain and he was a hero. She was _afraid_ that he would finally realize that they're right. He would recognize the truth behind their words and then he would leave her. _That_ was why she was absolutely terrified.

She guessed she wasn't doing a very good job of hiding her anxiety, either. Steve kept asking her if she was alright. And she was okay. Just slightly terrified—for the first time in her life—about her future. Her future _with him_. She loved Steve. She had never told him out loud, but she did. He told her that he loved her all the time, and he also said that he didn't need to say it out loud. That she could take her time. Well, now she was worried that she wouldn't have much time left; that he'd realize what a huge mistake he's been making by loving her.

She'd been so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't even realize that it had gotten so late. They were leaving in an hour and she was just starting to do her hair. She snapped out of her daze and tried to focus on the task at hand. Hair, makeup, dress, jewelry. It was easier to forget about what could happen tonight if she focused on one thing at a time.

* * *

Steve checked his watch for what felt like the hundredth time. He was standing in Natasha's living room, waiting for her so they could leave for the event. He was dressed in some ridiculously expensive tux what Tony had helped him pick out. It was Gucci, he thought. All navy with a black bowtie and a white pocket square. It was a high-profile event, after all. "Hey, I'm so sorry I'm running late," Natasha emerged into the living room, digging in her clutch for something. Steve's breath caught in his throat and his heart skipped a beat at the sight of her. She was in black. The A-line gown hugged her bust and torso. At her waist, the tulle flowed outward, making the dress somewhat poufy. That wasn't the best part, though. The dress was covered in small silver crystal. They completely covered the top of the dress, but then began to scatter and fade as you moved down to the bottom of the skirt. Her hair was pinned up in some sort of bun, loose red curls framing her face. Her makeup was done well; she had more on than she normally wore but it wasn't overdone. He didn't expect her to wear something so, well, girly. Nonetheless, she was _stunning_.

"I lost track of time and—" he cut her off, pulling her into him for a heated kiss. After a second, he pulled away to observe her up close.

"Wow," he breathed, a dopey smile on his face.

"You like it, huh?"

"Nat, you look..." he trailed off, twirling her around slowly. "You look incredible. You're beautiful," he pulled her in for another tender kiss. Of course, he thought she was beautiful each and every day. But this...he couldn't form a coherent thought to describe how amazing she looked in that dress.

"You clean up pretty nice yourself," she smirked, smoothing down the lapels of his jacket. And her really did look great; she'd have to thank Tony later. The navy of his tux made his bright blue eyes stand out even more than they usually did. And she knew it was wrong, but all she wanted was to rip that expensive suit right off him. But in all fairness, he was looking at her like he wanted to do the same thing to her dress. He leaned in to kiss her again, but she turned her face. "I thought we were running late?" she raised an eyebrow and his face fell. "Don't worry," she whispered pulling him in close. "We can come back to this later."

* * *

Natasha released a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding in as the limo pulled up to the event. Steve looked over to her and half-shrugged his shoulders. "Ready?"

"No," she sighed. "But if I'm going to do this, you're the only one I want to do it with." She offered up a small smile.

He reciprocated her gesture, picking up her hand and pressing a light kiss to the back of it. He turned, opening the limo door and stepping out onto the rec carpet. _Well if that isn't over the top_, Natasha thought to herself. She could see the bright camera flashes going off in Steve's face. She should've expected it, but it still annoyed her to no end. Steve looked back into the limo through the open door.

"Coming?" he offered her a small smile along with his hand. Natasha nodded, entirely unsure of herself for the first time that she could remember. Not much was out of Natasha's comfort zone; but this—being with Steve, someone so good and pure and _unlike_ her—was way outside of her comfort zone. But she had to do this. Take this step, both physically and metaphorically. So she accepted Steve's hand and let him lead her out of the limo.

She stepped out onto the carpet and was pretty sure she heard a collective gasp from the group of reporters who immediately began to bombard them with questions.

"So the rumors are true?"

"Are you two an item?"

"Captain, how long have you been romantically involved with Black Widow?"

Steve wasn't in the mood to answer any of these pointless questions. He wanted some things in his life to remain somewhat private. Like his relationship with Natasha. He wasn't ashamed of their relationship, and he _wanted _everyone to know that they were together. But that's as far as it went. Anyone outside of their small "family" didn't need to know anything more about their relationship.

He dropped his hand to Natasha's waist and protectively guided her past the reporters and photographers, refusing to answer any questions. The two eventually made it inside the venue. Steve still held onto Natasha protectively, his hand around her waist, holding her close to him.

"Thanks," Natasha said softly, twisting out of Steve's grasp.

"Come on, Nat," Steve smiled at her knowingly, taking her hand in his. "You're my date. Met me be your date. Let me be your boyfriend," he leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead.

Natasha sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that night. "I'm sorry, Steve. This is...out of place for me. I'm used to being on my own."

"Well, that's the thing, Nat," he drew her in close to him. "You don't have to be alone anymore. I'm not going anywhere." Natasha didn't fail to notice how his light blue eyes took on a darker shade as he talked about her. "I love you," he gave her a quick kiss.

_I love you too_. And, of course, she did. She just couldn't get her mouth to form the words.

* * *

Much to Natasha's surprise, the evening was pleasant. Natasha would even venture as far as to say that the event was _fun_. All of her earlier trepidations seemed to melt away with Steve's reassurance. Of course, all of the champagne she had consumed had helped. She wasn't drunk, but she was definitely tipsy—high on a euphoric buzz that made the night more enjoyable. Steve wasn't affected at all by the alcohol. Nonetheless, he seemed to be enjoying the night just as much as she was. He wore a broad smile that reached his eyes, and he was in constant physical contact with Natasha—with his _girlfriend_ that he loved so deeply and so intimately that he couldn't put it into words. Everything about her enchanted him, and he would never let go if he could help it.

"Having fun?" Steve questions over the music. Much to his own surprise, he actually got Natasha to dance with him. Well, this new age dancing didn't count as "real dancing" in Steve's book. But, nonetheless, he got Natasha to loosen up a bit.

She looked up at him with hazy green eyes, flashed him a reluctant half-smile, and nodded. He smiled back down at her. "Nat, I'm so glad you came. I love y—"

Steve was cut off when someone abruptly bumped into him. "Captain!" practically shouted. Captain Rogers are you aware of all the murders Ms. Romanoff committed while working for the USSR?" Steve was too stunned to answer at first and the man turned to Natasha. "And Ms. Romanoff, do you feel comfortable taking advantage of Captain Rogers given your record? Do you feel morally compromised?"

Steve returned to his senses at that. He grabbed the guy by the shoulders (as he had gotten too close to Natasha for Steve's liking) and gently pulled him away from her. He then turned to him, making sure that he kept his temper. He had no idea who this guy was, but he wasn't going to let him get away unscathed. "Excuse me, but I think that you're crossing the line here. I don't appreciate you throwing ridiculous accusations at me or my girlfriend, especially at an upscale event like this," Steve cautioned sternly. "So please, leave us alone and don't bother us again." The man was too stunned to respond; he dumbly nodded and quickly walked away. Steve sighed, wanting to forget about the incident and get back to enjoying the evening. "Nat," he turned back to her, "I know that you're perfectly capable of defending yourself, but that jerk had no right to question you like that."

Steve couldn't read Natasha's face; it was stoic. "It's fine, Steve," her voice was barely audible above the music. "I'm just going to go back to the tower."

Natasha was fleeing the room before Steve processed her words. Once they sunk in, he was immediately going after her. "Nat. Nat, wait," he followed her across the crowded ballroom. "Natasha," he said sternly, grasping her arm lightly. At that, she turned around and met his gaze.

"Steve, I can't do this. I'm sorry, but I can't," she said truthfully.

Her voice made Steve's heart ache and he led her into an empty room and locked to door. She turned to leave, but Steve gently pinned her to the wall. "Come on, Natasha, talk to me."

"That guy is right, Steve. What am I even doing? I mean, what was I thinking? This was never going to work. There can never be an us."

Steve couldn't believe what she was saying. In fact, he _didn't _believe what she said. "Come on, Nat. What are you talking about?"

"I don't deserve you," she said, trying to convince herself more than him. "And what that guy said, it's all true. I am morally compromised. And I am _not_ worthy of you. You're kind and honest and honorable and I'm...not. I've done terrible things, Steve. I don't need to drag you down with me," she finished.

Steve couldn't believe this. "Don't you _ever _for a second think that you're not good enough for me. I've committed my fair share of atrocities. I'm not going to let you go," he paused, the turbulence of his emotions written plainly on his face. "It would kill me. You know it would."

"God Steve," she half-shouted, equally as desperate. "You don't see it!" she broke free of his grasp and threw her arms out in frustration. "It won't kill you if I leave. You'll find someone else, I know you will. I'm trying to spare you from all of the pain I'll inflict if I stay. I can't stand to see you hurting. Because I love you, Steve. I love you but I don't deserve you and you don't deserve to be ruined by me—" Suddenly, Steve's strong arms were around her and she was almost sobbing into his chest.

He didn't say anything or do anything; he let her have this moment where her emotions took over and trumped her (wrong) logic. "So," he started after she had calmed down a bit. "You love me?" She could only nod into him. Steve couldn't help the smile that overcame him. "Well, I love you too. So much. And I'm sorry, Nat, but I make my own choices. Don't tell me that you're not worthy of me, and don't devalue my decision to date you and love you. I love you so much, Natasha."

Despite herself, she actually smiled. "I'm sorry, Steve," she sighed. "I didn't mean it—I don't want to leave you. Ever. Because I love you; and I don't think I can ever stop."

Steve kissed her gently. "I love you too," he smiled, "and if you're going to hell, I'm coming with you."

"I love you," Natasha repeated dumbly. It was funny. She was so afraid to say those three words before. But now that she's said them, she couldn't seem to stop saying them. It was wonderful.

Steve smiled and kissed her deeply. "I'm so happy to hear you say that," he whispered and leaned his forehead against hers. "God, Nat, I knew U had to be right," he smiled. "I couldn't have been wronger than when I thought you didn't love me. But that was ages ago." Steve brought her into him, kissing her breathless and reaching for the zipper of her dress.

"_Steve_," Natasha moaned into his mouth. "I need you to hurry up now," she pulled away and said with a bit if mischief in her eyes as her gown fell down and pooled around her feet. "'Cause I can't wait much longer," she offered him a playful smirk and cocked an eyebrow.

"Man," Steve started, playfully, taking her in his arms once again. "I've been waiting all night now. That's how long I've been on ya." He took her face in his hands and kissed her breathless. "I need you right now," he breathed out in between kisses. "I need you right now."

* * *

This one was inspired by Kanye West's _Stronger_. I know, it's weird, and I'm not sure I like how this turned out; but I hope everyone likes it!


	21. Mine

"Nat?" Steve questioned as he walked into her quarters. For the most part, she lived with him on his floor, but, for appearances sake, she stayed on her floor when company visited the Tower. The sunlight streamed through the giant glass panes overlooking the city, illuminating her apartment. "Nat? Are you still here?" he walked further into the 'foyer,' struggling to see through the sun glare.

He heard the kids laugh before he heard Natasha reply. "We're in the living room." Steve made a left and found Natasha sitting on the floor, her back up against the (bare) couch, red hair thrown up onto a messy bun that was brightened by the sun. Her place was a mess; the couch cushions were propped up against each other and the blankets were draped over them to make some kind of a fort. Steve could hear Lila and Cooper laughing and whispering from within the fort. Clint and Laura went away for the weekend—just the two of them—and left their kids with 'Auntie Nat' at the Tower.

Natasha was amazing with the kids. She didn't see it, but everyone else did; she was Lila and Cooper's favorite relative for a reason. And Steve, well, he was enamored with the scene in front of him. There was nothing extraordinary about it, but he couldn't look away. Natasha had on dark skinny jeans and a white V-neck t-shirt that did nothing to hide her curves. She seemed so relaxed, so _happy_. Time seemed to slow down when Natasha looked back over her shoulder at him. Her lips pulled up into a small smile, the one she had only for him, and the sun hit her face just the right way; the green of her eyes shone bright, framed by long, dark lashes. The many shades of her hair stood out, highlighting its true color. She looked so ordinary, yet so _stunning_ and Steve's heart swelled in his chest. She was a dream; a dream he could have every night for the rest of his life and it'd never be enough.

"What?" she laughed, pulling him from his euphoria.

"Nothing," he came over and leaned down to kiss her (longer than he should have). "You look great," he couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks, but not really," she patted the ground next to her and he sat down, pulling her close and draping his arm around her shoulders.

"Steve!" Lila squealed as she crawled out of the fort and into his lap. "You just kissed Auntie Nat."

"Hey, Lila. And I did just kiss Aunt Nat," he smiled once again.

"But you have boy germs; you're going to make her contan-in-mated," the five-year-old struggled with the last word.

"Oh, I'm sorry; I take it back." Steve took Natasha's chin in his hand and wiped his 'germs' off her lips with his thumb. All he wanted to do was kiss her again. _Later_, he told himself. _Later and you'll have her all to yourself_.

"Is that better?" Natasha asked. Lila nodded contentedly.

"I see that you guys made a pretty cool fort with Aunt Nat?"

"Uh-huh," Lila slid over to Natasha's lap. "I'm having fun."

"Me too!" Cooper stuck his head out of the fort. "Auntie Nat is the best?" He came all the way out of the fort to greet Steve.

"Hey, buddy," Steve held his hand out for Cooper to shake. "What's going on?"

"I got a new toy—it's a truck. Want to play with me?"

"Sure, why don't you—" Steve's phone interrupted him and he unwound his arm from Natasha to answer the call. "Rogers. Yes, sir. I understand. I'll be there." He hung up and Natasha gave him a questioning look. "Fury. It's a dimple raid—just me and Sam."

Natasha sighed, knowing she couldn't do anything to keep him here (with her). "Go," she stated simply, offering him a smile. "Come back in one piece."

"Yes, ma'am," he leaned in to kiss her, ignoring Cooper and Lila's gagging noises. He pulled away very reluctantly. "I love you, he smiled."

"I love you too." Before she knew it, Steve was off and she was once again alone with Lila and Cooper.

"Auntie Nat?" Natasha redirected her attention to the little girl. "I like Steve."

Natasha smiled at her. "Me too, Lila. Me too."

* * *

"I'm gonna do it," Steve stated without warning. He and Sam were on the quintjet heading to Europe for a simple extraction mission.

"Hmm?" Sam looked over at Steve. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to ask her," Steve smiled and nodded his head. "I'm going to ask Natasha to marry me."

Sam was quiet for a long moment. "Steve…Steve, this is huge, man."

"I know," Steve replied nonchalantly. "But I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I saw her today and something just clicked. I want to marry her, Sam," Steve sighed. "I _need_ her to be my wife. I don't want to wait any longer."

Sam smiled brightly. "Wow. Congrats," he reached over to shake Steve's hand. "Dude, you're gonna get married."

"Well, she hasn't said yes yet. And I still need to find the courage to actually ask her. And it's not like I have a ring picked out."

"Steve—look at me." Steve did, making eye contact with his teammate (who had become so much more than that these past few months and years). "She's not going to say no; she loves you. Man, you guys are going to be amazing together."

"You think?"

"Hell, yeah. You already are. You marry her, and you'll have the bad guys running the other way. It's going to be great."

"I think so," Steve smiled, thinking about being with Natasha—not ah her boyfriend, but as her fiancé then her husband. She deserved a happy life, and he wanted to be the one to give her everything and more. "I love her, Sam. God, I love her so much it hurts. I'm never going to let her go. Never. I want to be her husband; desperately so."

"You two are something. Something really special. You know that, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. I think I do know that. She's…she's worth it. I'd give up everything for her. She is special. And I selfishly want it all to myself."

"I've seen the way she looks at you, Steve. We all have. You guys were meant to be together."

"You know," Steve started nostalgically, "After the ice I thought I had nothing left to live for. Everything I knew—everyone I knew—was gone. I had nothing. But after meeting her? I think I know why I got stuck in that ice for seventy years. She changed everything, Sam. Without her I'd be hopeless. But now? With her and all that she's shown and taught me…I think we're gonna be okay. With her and you and the team—I think the future's going to be a god one. She deserves it."

"That was deep," Sam replied with a smile. "You're going to have to put that in your vows," Steve laughed. "You deserve that happy future too, you know."

"Well, I think I'll get that if she says yes."

"_When_ she says yes," Sam corrected.

"Yeah," Steve sighed happily. "When she says yes."

"Ant things will be great as long as I get to be your best man."

Sam laughed. Steve did too. "Let me buy a ring first. Baby steps."

"Dude, you're gonna get married!" Sam reached over and clasped Steve on the shoulder. "You're going to have a kick-ass reception. Natasha's going to look stunning," Steve smiled at that—imagining her in a white gown. "And soon enough you'll have little cap-widow kids running around."

Steve knew this would come up eventually. He didn't really want to talk about it, but he trusted Sam. "Yeah," Steve started solemnly. "All of that. But, uh…Nat can't have kids." Sam was silent, the mood suddenly turning sour. Steve shrugged off Sam's concerned look, "Side effect of the Red Room."

"Man, that's tough. Sorry I didn't know; I wouldn't have brought it up if I did."

"It's alright—nothing that anyone can do about it. And, you know what? I'm willing to sacrifice that—having kids—for her. She's worth it; I couldn't stop loving her if I tried."

Sam sighed. "I see how much she means to you, Steve. And look on the bright side; there are always ways around it."

"Yeah," Steve smiled a little, the cheerful atmosphere almost immediately returning. "But I'm going to cross that bridge when I get there. The first thing I need to do now is get her a ring."

"Sorry, man, but you're on your own with that one," Sam stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I figured that much," Steve smiled. "But I can deal with that later. We have a mission to focus on."

* * *

Thankfully, the mission went smoothly and Steve found himself stumbling into Natasha's apartment early the next morning. To his surprise, she was still awake, lying on her couch and watching some show on TV. He quietly propped his shield against the wall before moving to the couch and crouching in front of her. "Hey," he smiled, sweeping a lock of red hair off of her face. "What are you still doing up?"

She blinked tiredly; hazy eyes both blue and green stared back at Steve. "I couldn't sleep. It's not the same when you're not here."

"Did the kids leave?"

She nodded. "Clint picked them up right after you left." Steve felt the weight of her head on him as she leaned into his shoulder. "I missed you," she sighed.

"Me too, Nat," _more than you know_. He leaned down to kiss her but she turned her face away.

"Shower, first. Then you can come kiss me."

Steve did as he was told and took a shower. The hot water felt amazing after the long day he'd had and he allowed himself to stand under the spray and enjoy it for a few extra minutes.

Natasha was lying in bed, reading when he emerged into the bedroom. He went to her dresser, taking out a pair of boxers and his white "Army" t-shirt and pulling them on before crawling into bed next to her. She put her book down on the nightstand, turned off the light, and snuggled up to Steve as he pulled her into him. It was quiet for a long moment, and Steve could've sworn that Natasha was asleep.

"Steve?" Nope, guess not. "How was the mission?"

"It was fine," he said softly into her red locks. "Just a couple of want-to-be thieves. Sam and I handled it pretty easily."

"That's good. I wish you could've been here, though."

"Me too," Steve let out a small laugh. "You're so good with them, you know. Lila and Cooper."

Steve couldn't see Natasha smile in the dark. "They're great kids. Clint and Laura are really doing a great job with them."

"Hey, give yourself some credit, too. They love you, you know." Natasha just moaned in accordance in response and it was quiet for a long moment as Steve debated whether or not to pursue what was on his mind. He decided to go for it.

"Nat?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you ever want to do that?" He paused. "Have kids, I mean..."

"Steve," she said tenderly and he felt her sigh against his chest. "You know I can't. Physically—it's impossible."

"I know that, but if you could...If we could find some way around it somehow. Would you?"

Natasha didn't answer right away and Steve was afraid he'd gone too far—pushed his luck. "If, somehow, the damage that the Red Room did to me during the graduation ceremony could be undone...I think that I would, now. But it wouldn't be with just anyone; it'd have to be with someone special."

Steve smiled despite himself. "Yeah?" he asked, now hopeful.

"Yeah," she smiled to herself, knowing that he couldn't see it in the dark. "_If_ by some miracle I could have kids, I think that you're the only one I'd want to have them with."

"Natasha," Steve said, so very touched beyond words. In fact, he had no idea _how_ to put his emotions into words. "I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you," he breathed excitedly.

"I love you, too. But, Steve," she started solemnly, "you know it can't happen. It doesn't matter how badly I want it or not; I can't reverse what they did to me. And I'm sorry because you deserve it—you deserve so much more than I can give you."

"Hey, we've been over this before," he started. "I love you, and _if_ the time comes, we'll figure it out. But right now? You're the most important thing in the world to me. And as to what I deserve? You don't owe me anything, Natasha. _Nothing_. You alone are much more than I deserve," he pulled her even tighter to his chest. "You make me so, _so_ happy, Nat. And that's not something I take lightly."

"Well, for what it's worth, you make me happy too," she smiled again. "More so than I've ever been. I love loving you; being your _girlfriend_ and all that mushy crap." Steve knew deep down that her statements were genuine, no matter how she tried to downplay them. He felt her eventually slump against him, her breathing evening out. Steve didn't feel like sleeping, though, there were too many things racing through his head. _I don't want you to be my girlfriend anymore; I want to make you my wife. I want to make you Mrs. Rogers_. And with that happy thought, he finally found himself drifting to sleep.

* * *

Steve knocked lightly on the door to Pepper's office several days later. Natasha was away on a mission with Cline, so he knew that she wouldn't find out about this. Naturally, Pepper was on the phone, but she motioned for Steve to come in through the glass. He did so and took a seat in front of her large desk. Steve took a moment to observe Pepper's office while she finished up her conversation. The room was large and spacious—much larger than Steve's own office at the Triskelion—with huge glass widows that ran along two walls of the space through which one could see much of the city. The office itself was sleek, modern, and designed very much according to Pepper's taste.

A minute later, Pepper hung up the phone and focused her attention on Steve. "Hi. And sorry about that. There's always something going wrong somewhere in this company."

"You don't have to apologize, Pepper. And thank you for taking time to meet with me; I know how busy you must be, especially with Christmas coming up."

Pepper waved away his apology with her hand. "Please, Steve. You know that I can always make time for you," she smiled sweetly. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Steve sighed apprehensively. "Well, I need to ask you a favor. But the thing is, this is pretty big, so you can't tell anyone. _Especially_ not Tony. This is really important to me, and I want to keep it as quiet as possible."

"Steve, I've been keeping things from Tony for years," she stated proudly. "So whatever it is, rest assured, it will be safe with me."

"Okay," Steve hesitated. "I'm going to propose to Natasha." Pepper's face absolutely lit up at that as she brought her hand up to cover her mouth. "_But_ I haven't gotten her a ring yet—and I want it to be perfect for her. And I trust your taste and judgment, I really do, and I'm way out of my element here, so...will you come shopping with me and help me pick out an engagement ring for Nat?"

"Oh my gosh, _Steve_! It's about time!" she proclaimed excitedly. "And I'm honored that you asked me to help—of course I will." Steve let out a sigh of relief. He knew Pepper would come through; she always did.

"Really?" You don't mind helping me?"

"Helping you shop? For an engagement ring? Steve, I would have been insulted if you didn't ask me for help," Pepper smiled.

"Okay, great!" now Steve was smiling, too. "Nat always says she doesn't want or need thing like jewelry, so I've never bought her anything like this before. But I want this ring to be really special and _perfect_ for her because she deserves it."

"Steve, don't worry about it. I'm going to help you, and together we'll find the perfect ring for her. Okay?"

"Okay," Steve echoed, feeling relieved and newly motivated. _I can do this. It's going to be perfect and she's going to love it_. "But please, _please_ don't tell anyone about this or that I was here. I want to surprise her, for once, and you know how difficult that is."

"Trust me, Steve, my lips are sealed. Does anyone else know you're going to ask her?"

"Just Sam, and that's it. I wanted to get his opinion to see if he thought I was getting ahead of myself. I'm terrified that she's going to say no."

"She's crazy about you, Steve. If there's one person on this earth that was meant to be with Natasha Romanoff, it's you," Pepper smiled once again. "So don't stress."

"Easier said than done," Steve laughed a little.

"Don't' worry, Steve; it's all going to work out. I know it will."

* * *

The following afternoon (_man, Pepper works fast_), Steve and Pepper were casually strolling down Fifth Avenue. Natasha was still away on her mission, thankfully, so she would have n o idea what he was up to. Steve was dressed casually in a pair of dark jeans and a beige sweater with a wool coat that kept him warm against the chill of early December. Pepper, on the other hand, was as well dressed as always in a business dress, heels, and Burberry trench coat; she looked ridiculously posh, especially with her Louis Vuitton handbag and Prada sunglasses. Steve felt hopelessly underdressed.

He also felt ridiculously out of place. The standard of living seemed to increase with every step they took down the street. Pepper blended in, of course, but Steve felt like he was sticking out like a sore thumb. Designer stored lined both sides of the street, and Steve could only imagine how wealthy some of the people he passed were. Steve grew up with practically nothing, so seeing this was a difficult thing to grasp.

"Here, Steve," Pepper stopped him in front of Tiffany's. Of course, Steve knew of Tiffany's; it was one company still remaining that predated him. But he had never had a reason (or the means) to actually shop here before. He was intimidated for some absurd reason. Nowadays, he could definitely afford to but whatever he decided upon. Nonetheless, he felt _way_ out of place.

Steve left his thoughts behind as the two young doormen wearing Tiffany blue scarves greeted them and ushered them through the revolving door. The store was positively buzzing with people. _'Tis the season_, Steve thought. "Come on, Steve, I told my friend that we were coming. She can help us out."

"Um, okay," it took Steve a moment to process that as Pepper led them to the back corner of the store.

"Alex! How are you?" Pepper suddenly greeted another woman. The woman appeared to be in her mid-thirties; she was tall and slender with long brown hair and welcoming blue eyes. Pepper turned her attention back to him. "Steve, this is my friend, Alexandria. She's always helping me pick out jewelry."

"You can call me Alex," the woman stuck out her hand and Steve shook it.

"Hi," he said dumbly.

"So," Alex lightly clapped her hands together. "What can I help you with today?"

"I, um, I want to but an engagement ring for my girlfriend," Steve got out.

"Okay, great! Why don't we have a seat over here so we can discuss it?" Alex led them over to a small table and they sat down. "Would either of you like anything to drink?"

"We'll take water, thank you," Pepper responded for both of them.

Once they were all settled, Alex spoke again. "So, Steve, what price range are you looking to stay around?"

"Honestly, I don't have a budget. I just want it to be perfect for her; the price doesn't matter," Steve answered.

"Okay, great," Alex smiled. "And, if I may ask, what is your girlfriend's name?"

"Her name's Natasha," Steve answered easily.

"And does she know that you're here today?" Alex continued.

"No," Steve laughed. _I hope not_. "I want to surprise her."

"Very sweet."

"And I brought Pepper to help me; I trust her opinion."

"Wonderful, "Alex continued. She brought out a piece of paper and turned it around to show Steve and Pepper. "Okay, so these are the different cuts of diamonds for our rings. The fist think I need you to do is to decide which ones you like."

Steve looked at the drawings of the diamond shapes. There were a lot of choices: round, princess, square, and heard. Emerald, oval, pear, and cushion. It was a lot to take in.

"What do you think, Steve?" Pepper asked.

"Well," Steve sighed. "I know that I _don't_ like the heart or pear shapes. Or the princess shape."

"I agree," Pepper mused. "I don't like the round and square-like cuts either," she looked at Steve. "Natasha is pretty small; she has slender fingers."

"If she has small hands," Alex began, " I would recommend the emerald or oval cuts."

"I like those," Steve said, imaging how it would look on Natasha's finger.

"Okay, good. We'll stick with those two. Now, what color do you want the diamond to be?"

"Uhh," Steve stumbled. He didn't know that there was more than one color. "Just regular. White, I guess."

"Okay, well we have some rings that I think you'll like," Alex pulled out a case and placed it on the table. Then, she pulled out a few rings and placed them on a special mat for Steve and Pepper to observe.

It was hard for Steve to keep up with Alex as she described each ring. The first one had a plain, oval diamond with a platinum band. It was very pretty, but simple. The second ring was the same as the first one except the diamond was cut in an emerald shape.

The third ring, however, caught Steve's attention. "This one," Alex explained, "is from out Soleste collection." The ting had a large, oval diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds. Its band was also comprised of small diamonds.

"Wow, Steve. I like that one a lot," Pepper offered.

"I do, too," Steve held up the ring to better examine it. "I don't know. It's pretty, but it's just not..._Nat_."

"Yeah, I don't think it's the one," Pepper agreed.

"But I do think that we're headed in the right direction," Steve stated.

"Well, if you liked that one, what do you think of this?" Alex brought out another ring and Steve immediately fell in love with it. The ring sported a large, emerald-cut diamond at the center with smaller, almost square diamonds surrounding it. The ring also had small diamonds that covered some of the platinum band. "This one is also from our Soleste collection, but it's an emerald cut."

"Steve..." Pepper nudged.

He didn't know exactly what it was, but something about this ring just screamed Natasha. It was stunning without being flashy or showy. It was elegant, timeless, and somewhat vintage. It was _perfect_. "I...I love it," Steve said as he continued to admire the ring. Steve turned to Pepper, "what do you think?"

"I think it's the one, Steve," Pepper spoke candidly.

"Yeah, me too," Steve smiled widely. "Do you think that Nat will like it?"

"Oh, Steve, she's going to love it. Especially since you picked it out just for her," Pepper answered.

Steve couldn't stop smiling now. He kept imaging sliding that ring onto Natasha's finger; having it stay there so the world would know that she was _taken_.

"I thought you'd like that one," Alex stated. Now I just need to know what size you want the diamond to be. How many carats." Once again, Alex pulled out diagrams that depicted the different diamond sizes.

Steve looked over the paper for a minute. "What do you think, Pepper?"

Pepper hesitated a moment. "I think I like the two carat diamond. Not too big but not too small."

"Yeah, I like that too."

"Okay, Perfect!" Alex exclaimed. "The last thing I need to know is Natasha's ring size."

"Um," Steve drew a blank. He felt like an idiot, but he had _no clue_ what size ring Natasha wore.

"She wears a size six," Pepper replied, glancing at Steve. "I came prepared."

"Thanks," Steve sighed in relief. _Pepper saves the day, once again_. "And when can I come back to pick up the ring?"

"We can have it ready for you next week. Is that alright?"

"That would be great. Thanks."

"Wonderful," Alex proclaimed cheerfully. "Now, I just need a down payment for the ring..." she trailed off as she entered some information into her iPad. "And your total comes to..."

Steve's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the large number. "Whoa..." he sighed.

"Steve...if you can't, Tony and I can—"

Steve cut Pepper off. "No. No way; she's my girlfriend and I need to do this. I can afford it, it's no trouble."

After working out the payment details with Alex, Pepper was toasting Steve and Natasha with some ridiculously expensive champagne that Tiffany's apparently kept on hand for celebrating expensive purchases. Needless to say, Steve felt somewhat uncomfortable by the time he and Pepper left the store.

"Congratulations, Steve," Pepper smiled and grabbed Steve's arm as they walked back down Fifth Avenue.

"Uh, thanks," Steve smiled sheepishly. "I still can't believe that I just bought an engagement ring. I hope Nat likes it."

"Steve, she's going to love it. You picked it out for her, so of course she will. Don't stress so much."

"Easier said than done. But I'll try."

"So...I have one more question," Pepper started tentatively, "When and how are you going to ask her?"

Steve smiled. "Okay, I'll tell you. But, again, you can't tell anyone. I'm going to ask her on Christmas Eve. And, uh, I may need to borrow the roof of the Tower."

"Of course you can use the roof!" Pepper nearly gasped in excitement. "Oh my god, Steve, I can't believe all of this. I'm so happy for you. For you and Natasha; you both deserve some happiness."

"Thanks, Pepper. I have to actually get her to say yes first. But thank you so much for all of your help. You saved my butt in there today."

"Of course, Steve," Pepper said. "I'm glad you asked me to help."

Steve smiled. "Well, now I'm one step closer. One step closer to asking the woman I love to be mine forever."

* * *

"Hey, man. Can I talk to you for a minute? In private," Steve rubbed the back of his head nervously as he spoke to Clint. It was nearly Christmas, but Steve still had one more thing he had to do before he proposed to Natasha.

"Yeah, sure," Clint responded and the two men went outside on the porch. Clint and Laura had invited the couple over for dinner and they'd gladly accepted the invitation. Laura and Natasha were cleaning up what was left of dinner while Lila and Cooper were playing in the living room.

Steve generally didn't like the cold (for obvious reasons), but in this moment he welcomed and almost relished it. "So," Clint began, leaning against the railing with a beer dangling from his fingers. "What did you want to talk about?"

Steve took a deep breath and decided that it was probably best to just cut to the chase. "I want to ask Natasha to marry me." Clint was surprised; he looked over at Steve with wide eyes and raised eyebrows.

"Wow, Steve, that's...that's huge." Clint struggled to find words. "But I don't understand why you're telling me."

"Clint, _please_, don't say a word to anyone about this," Steve took a sip of his beer. "And I told you because I need to ask you." Steve walked closer to Clint and leaned against the railing next to him. "Look...I know about Natasha's past and I know that she doesn't have any family. But I want to give her a real family. And I know that you're like a brother to her, Clint—you know her better than I do in some ways. You _are_ her family, and I want to be apart of that. So, before I ask her, I need to ask you. Clint, do I have your permission to marry Natasha?"

For a long moment, Clint just looked at Steve. Steve was petrified; he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. "Steve...I'm really glad you asked me. Because, of course, you have my permission," Clint smiled widely.

"Really?" Steve questioned, now feeling giddy and foolish at the same time.

"I'm flattered you even asked me," Clint turned to look out on his farm.

"Call me old-fashioned," Steve smiled.

The two men sat in comfortable silence for a minute until Clint spoke. "You know, when you first started hanging around Tasha, I was jealous," Clint laughed to himself. "I don't know why I'm telling you this. But I was jealous because you could make her so happy—happier than I could ever make her. And then I had to recognize that she wasn't all mine anymore; this new man had swooped in and stolen her heart. At first I was jealous because she's my best friend and I wanted to protect her from getting her heart broken by you," Clint paused and Steve listened intently. "But after I got to know you better—this new man in her life—I realized that you weren't just some guy. She's crazy about you, Steve, And I can see why; you're something special. You complete her and bring her true happiness, which is something that she truly deserves. You give her things that no one else, myself included, can give her. So, I can now say this with pure joy and no reservations: it's about damn time."

Clint grabbed Steve's hand and pulled him in for a hug. "Wow, Clint. Thank you; I don't know what to say."

"You two deserve each other," Clint smiled. "But don't you dare break her heart."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"You really love her, don't you?" Clint asked.

"Of course, I do. I can't help it, Clint. She's my whole world and I want everyone to know that she's mine and she's taken—I never want her to feel alone again," Steve said. "God, I know she'll never go for this, but I want her to be Mrs. Rogers," Steve laughed.

Clint laughed, too. "Yeah, well good luck with that one. I'm happy for you Steve. I think we could all use some more happiness in our lives."

"That's for sure."

"Did you get her a ring?"

"Yeah, I did," Steve stated proudly. "And hopefully I've hidden it well enough that she won't find it."

Clint laughed again. "Again, good luck with that one, man. But don't worry, my lips are sealed."

"I really appreciate it. And I'm going to ask Nat soon."

"Ask me what?" Both men turned around in surprise at Natasha's voice. Luckily, she had only heard Steve's last remark.

"Hey," Steve smiled at her. "I didn't see you. And I was going to ask if you want to head home soon; it's getting late."

"Yeah, sure," she smiled sweetly and turned to head back inside.

"Wait, Nat," Steve grabbed her arm lightly and brought her in for a deep kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too," Natasha gave him a skeptical look.

"Gross, get a room," Clint stated.

Natasha smiled. "Come on, let's go say goodbye then we'll hit the road."

* * *

"Do you know what's up with Steve?" Natasha asked Cling as they walked out of the gym at the Triskelion. It was a couple of days before Christmas and everyone was looking forward to the holiday.

"What do you mean?" Clint replied.

"I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but he's been acting...weird this week. He's jumpy or something."

"Maybe he's excited for Christmas." _Don't give anything away_, Clint reminded himself. "I wouldn't read too much into it, Tash."

Natasha thought about that a moment. "I don't know. He's been going on a bunch of errands lately. And he's been talking to Pepper a lot for some reason. Maybe I should follow him..."

"Natasha. Do you trust Steve?" Clint questioned.

"Of course I do."

"Then let him be. I'm sure he has his reasons."

Natasha sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I'm probably just paranoid," she smirked. "Maybe he's working on getting me a kick-ass Christmas gift."

_Tasha, you have no idea_. "Yeah, that's probably it," Clint offered.

"I guess I'll just have to wait," she paused and smiled. "I trust him."

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so I'm not actually sure how the Tiffany store functions—this is all just speculation. I got all of my information from their website. Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoys this update!


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